Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon: Eternal Darkness
by Shuu
Summary: Two months after Chaos' defeat, an evil which was thought to have been defeated returns! With new Sailorsenshi appearing, a Darkness sweeps over the land, and an Angel of Death plauges the city of Tokyo...
1. A New Enemy, a New Fight!

_Thoughts_

Authors Notes

Scene change/Time break

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**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon: Eternal Darkness Episode 1- _A new Enemy, a new Fight! New Senshi arrive to the battle._**

The birds sung their sweet song into the air, flying about upon this early morning in Tokyo. The sun was beginning to rise, basking the area in a warm, yellow glow. Although the sun was shining, the air was already becoming crisp, creeping in upon this part of the world; a sign that autumn was descending to the area. The leaves began to fall to the ground, swirling gently in the wind as it blew. Something oddly was amiss in this city, as a strange dust-cloud was seen descending from the horizon. Speeding along was the familiar figure of Tsukino Usagi, with the dust following behind her heals, trying to catch up to her madly dashing figure. She ran quickly towards her high-school, attempting to make it there on time for once. She didn't really care less about the beautiful day, the falling leaves or the singing of the birds; all she wanted to do was avoid getting scolded and yelled at and gaining detention for being late.

"Don't ring, don't ring…PLEASE don't ring!" Usagi squealed, speeding around a corner, just blocks away from her school. In her dashing, the blonde did not notice what was going on, and promptly ran right into another human being. Usagi continued to run, though slowing down and stomping all over this person, and once over this obstacle, continued onward at her normal running pace. The girl, whom Usagi had ran over, was clad in a fresh Juuban High uniform, and slowly peeled herself from the ground. Grumbling and in pain, the girl popped her neck, groaning and attempting to dust her new uniform off.

"Ow…what the heck??" She muttered, rubbing her face where footmarks were. In the distance, a loud ringing was heard, the girl perking up, dashing towards the school much like Usagi.

Above them on top of a building, a female figure stood, pigtails blowing in the wind. Only a silhouette of this figure was there, but her burning red eyes could be seen clearly, as she watched the dust cloud trailing Usagi intently.

"Ah hahahaha!" She cackled to herself, smirking widely, "I will have your heart soon, Sailormoon! Ah hahahahaha!"

Minako chewed boredly on her pencil eraser, staring up at the clock; she sighed and leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. As usual, Usagi was late for class, which didn't really surprise Minako anymore. In fact, things were pretty routine, now that Chaos was gone and things were back to normal. The group would hang out, go shopping, attempt to go on dates…they were like real teenagers now. Things were dull, and Minako half wondered if their battles were really over- or if battling to get into class on time was their only fight from now on.

The door to the class slid open as the Sensei Teacher steeped into the room, closing it behind him. Usagi, as usual, was late- and would probably have detention yet again; Minako signed and prepared for the lecture.

"Today, we have a new classmate," He said blandly, placing his books on the desk in the front, "She has transferred here from England. Please be kind, as she is not good with Japanese yet." Minako perked up when she heard England, for she had spent quite some time there back in her Sailor V days.

The door slid open again as in walked a girl dressed in the Juuban uniform. She wasn't overly tall, probably about the height that Minako was. Her skin was fair, even fairer then Hotaru was, and was smiling sweetly. Her hair was cut short, being somewhat poofy and wispy, her bangs curling around her chin and cheeks gently. The girl's hair was a very dark pink, and her eyes were of a soft blue color. She folded her hands in front of her as she stood in front of the class.

"H-he…hello," She said with some difficulty, "My name is Enala Lawrence, and I come from London." She spoke slowly, careful not to mess up the words. The class said hello and the Sensei directed her to find a seat. Enala smiled to the class and walked past Minako and sat behind her. The blonde immediately turned around and grined at the English girl.

"Hi! I'm Aino Minako! Nice to meet you!" Minako said with energy, the girl smiling at her, "You seem to have some problems with Japanese…maybe my friends can help!"

"You…you'd do that?" Enala asked politely, Minako nodding happily, but before Enala could respond to that, the door flung open, revealing a panting Usagi.

"Tsukino!" The Sensei yelled, the short blonde wincing, "You're late yet again, I see. Take your seat, we'll discuss this after class."

"Yes, Sensei…" Usagi grumbled, dragging into her seat and slumping down into it. Usagi sulked for a bit, before Minako nudged her,

"Hey! We have a new exchange student!" She exclaimed, pointing to Enala, Usagi blinked and looked over to.

"Oh, hi! " Usagi responded cheerfully, "I'm Tsukino Usagi! Nice to meet you " However, before Enala could respond…

"Tsukino! Aino!" The Sensei yelled, smacking a ruler on the table, "Stop disturbing the new student!"

"Yes Sensei.." They muttered in unison.

Makoto yawned tiredly, leaning on her hand, listening to the Sensei drone on and on. In the beginning of the class, he announced that a new student would be joining them, but this person never showed up. So the Sensei just continued with the lesson- which Makoto wasn't entirely paying attention to. The subject was especially boring and confusing, she would have to ask Ami for some help…later. Right now, her eyes trailed to a cute guy sitting a few rows ahead of her. The brunette's eyes grew big and shiny.

_He looks like my Sempai… 3_ she thought, staring dreamily at the back of his head Note: Sempai is a Japanese term for an upperclassmen. In the original, Makoto loved her Sempai, not her old boyfriend.. Now that Chaos was dead, Makoto could think more about boyfriends and a love life. But, something in the back of her head was warning her of something…

Suddenly, the door flew open as a tall girl burst into the room. Her platinum blonde hair was done loosley and sloppily up into two buns on the sides of her head, tied with blue ribbons. Two long bangs hung down in her face, covering her bright blue eyes. She wore golden hoop earrings, like Haruka, and a Juuban uniform.

"Ahh! I'm sorry I'm late!" She wheezed, sliding into the classroom. The class looked over to her, the Sensei sweatdropping.

"You must be the new student…late, I see," He stated matter-of-factly tone, the girl regaining her breath and sliding into the middle of the classroom.

"Yeah…hi," She muttered, before standing straight up and pushing her bangs behind her ears, "I'm Lizzie Duran, I come from London, though I originally came from the USA." She grinned, the class ooing at the thought of an American in their class. Makoto sat up and peered at this girl, something felt odd about her.

"Please take a seat wherever there is an open one," The Sensei instructed, Lizzie glancing around and walking down an isle, sitting in the seat near the back.

_Something feels odd about her,_ Makoto thought, but shook the feeling once the Sensei continued on.

Haruka gave a tired yawn, bits of her hair sticking out of her head. Although she and Michiru had been attending normal school for a while now, she still couldn't get used to waking up so early. She had no idea how Michiru did it- arriving in school with a chipper and happy disposition every single day they went to this grueling thing. Haruka sighed and hopped that the Sensei would arrive- just so she could get to Track Practice soon. Just as she was feeling she would fall back asleep, the door to the classroom slid open, the Sensei walking in, but being followed by another…

Behind him was a somewhat short girl, with deathly pale skin- so pale, that she was nearly albino. Her long royal purple hair hung down to her mid-back, pulled back into a loose pony-tail at her neck. The girl's bangs were rather long, bunched together and stopping just below her chin. Her hair was wavy, but not nearly as Michiru's was. She wore a pair of small glasses, as well as black finger-less gloves and black lipstick covering her lips. Her deep purple eyes were staring at the floor. Haruka perked up upon seeing her, not because she was cute, but because of a strange power about her.

"Everyone, this is Rinjuu Ashi Hotaru, a new student," She said, gesturing to the girl, "Please be kind and treat her respectfully."

_What strange power…_ Haruka thought, narrowing her eyes slightly at the girl, _And…who would name their kid Evil Firefly of the Dying Hour?_ The girl, Ashi Hotaru, moved slowly down the isles and sat down in an empty seat behind Michiru. Michiru smiled and turned around to her.

"Hello there!" She said with enthusiasm, "I'm Kaiou Michiru." Ashi slowly looked up, her deep eyes meeting with Michiru's blue ones. Deep sorrow seemed to be reflected in them, but the strange girl said nothing, only to slowly look back down to her desktop.

"H-How rude!" Michiru muttered, twitching slightly, "She didn't even say hello!" Haruka's brow furrowed as she looked over at the girl again, then back to Michiru, and whispered

"Something is strange about her…" The blonde whispered somewhat harshly, "…But, there…seems to be some sort of regret in there." Michiru blinked and looked back to Ashi, then to Haruka.

"Strange…so do I…" She responded in a hushed voice.

"…" Ashi Hotaru's eyes looked up at them whispering, having heard each word…but didn't say a thing.

Boots clacked down narrow, dark hallways, the only sound within this strange hall. A cloaked figure proceeded down the hallways, a smirk upon her face. Slowly the figure entered into a larger room, though as dimly lit as the hall she was in. This room was cluttered with testing equipment of all sorts, and another figure stood in it, with it's back to the first.

Kneeling, the first figure spoke, "Takulira has entered the school, as planned," She smirked, "She has gone undetected, and has already come in contact with two of the three." The figure with it's back turned chuckled evily,

"Excellent," This figure said, pushing a pair of square glasses up her nose, "Where is the third?" She snapped in a demanding voice.

Lowering her head, the kneeling figure responded; "I do not know where the third is, she doesn't appear to be--"

"Well, you need to find her!" The standing figured hissed, "Cause a ruckus, THAT will drive the third out of hiding! The _Shadow_ must absorb more _hoste_ before she can change." The kneeling figure nodded, "Here, send these _Daimon_ out to kill them!" Waving her hand, three Daimon pods appeared, hovering to the kneeling figure, who took them in her hands.

"It shall be done."

"Sniff," Usagi muttered, sitting outside the classroom during lunch, "Why did I have to get detention during LUNCH?!" She wailed, her stomach growling as loudly as she wailed. She sniffed and slumped down more, wanting to go outside to eat lunch and talk with the others. She sighed, and looked up slightly when she heard someone walking down the hallway- noticing it was a girl, Lizzie.

"Goddamnit!" She yelled, caring an American-ized Lunchbox, "How the heck do we get out of here??" Usagi blinked, and her eyes grew large and shiny at the site of a lunchbox.

"Hey!" The blonde yelled, standing up and waving, "Mind sharing some of your lunch??" Lizzie blinked, and glanced down at her lunchbox and back up at the flailing Usagi.

"Uh…I guess," She muttered, scratching her head, "Oh well, better'n spending the rest of my lunch our trying to find the way out…" Lizzie walked over to Usagi and sat by her, and opened up the lunchbox.

"! FOOD!" Usagi squealed, diving in and grabbing half of the other blonde's sandwich, and immedently chowing down on it. Lizzie sweatdroped.

"Healthy appetite…by the way, what's your name?" She asked.

"Swuino Twuagi," Usagi replied, her mouth full of food. Lizzie sweatdropped yet again, the other blonde swallowing her food, "Err, heheh…Tsukino Usagi ;" Usagi looked up at the girls sitting by her, "Hey, I havn't seen you around before!"

"I just recently transferred in to Juuban," Lizzie replied, grabbing the remaining half of her sandwich, taking a bite and chewing. Usagi nodded, chowing down on her sandwich, and Lizzie finished eating, swallowing, "Lizzie Duran, I came here from England…"

"Wow! I just met someone in my class from there! " Usagi exclaimed, grinning happily, "Her name was funny…"

"Enala?" Lizzie asked, blinking and tilting her head, Usagi nodding vigorously, "Cool, she's my best friend. We came here together."

"Wow, that's really cool!" Usagi grinned happily, shoving the remainder of her sandwich in her mouth, "You speak Japanese well oo"

"Yeah, well, that comes with being an anime freak, I guess…" Lizzie responded, munching more on her sandwich. Usagi nodded again.

Ashi Hotaru walked out onto the rooftop of her school, no one else was up there, thankfully. She carried no lunch, unlike everyone else in the school. Her glasses rested up on her forehead, pulling some of her bangs away from her face. Slowly, the pale-skinned girl walked towards the fence which lined the rooftop, peering over and down into the field below, where everyone was eating and chatting. She sighed, wanting to go down there, but she knew what would happen if she did. She didn't want to get caught by what would happen. Her eyes were hollow and shallow-looking, as she longfully gazed down at where she wished she was…where she wanted to be. And yet, she couldn't be down there.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head downwards, closing her eyes. Ashi could feel darkness closing around her, slowly looking up and over her shoulder. She knew what was behind her, and knew what would happen there in a few seconds. Slowly, the thin girl backed up against the opposite fence, before turning and walking back down the stairs which she came from. She wanted to be alone right now…

"Where's Usagi at?" Ami asked Minako, whom shared a class with the blonde.

"She got lunch detention, again," Minako responded, taking a munch out of her rice ball, "Hope you don't mind if the new girl eats with us…"

"; I don't mean to…uh…intrude…" Enala bowed solemnly, the other girls laughing a little bit.

"It's quite alright!" Makoto said, grinning, "It's always good to have new friends." Enala nodded some, smiling sheepishly.

"I'm quite willing to help you with Japanese, Enala-san," Ami said, nodding her head, munching on a sandwich, "I wonder where Haruka and Michiru are?"

"Thank you," Enala bowed again, smiling more, before sitting down by them and munching on her lunch, "You're all being so nice…"

"Not a problem!" Minako exclaimed, giggling a little, "It is odd that Haruka-san and Michiru-san aren't here yet." Ami and Makoto nodded, both munching on their lunches. The group continued to chatter for a moment, before the three Japanese girls felt something ontop of the roof.

"What…?" Makoto asked, narrowing her eyes, looking up onto the rooftop. A figure was standing perfectly balanced on the top of the chain link fence, her frosty brown hair flowing behind her in the wind, a cloak covering her body, her face covered with bangs.

"That…" Minako gasped, the figure on the fence holding her hand out as three pod-like things flew out of her hands and into several inanimate objects- a tree, a door and a bench. "_Daimons_?!" The blonde yelled, the objects warping and changing into strange-looking humanoid monsters, instantly coming down and attacking the helpless students.

Lizzie and Usagi had a pleasant talk with each other, mainly concerning anime and things like that. Thankfully, Usagi's Sensei was out, so he never saw the blonde talking to someone else when she was suppose to be in detention. Usagi had eaten most of Lizzie's lunch, but the American decided to be polite and let her do so. Their discussion was cut abruptly short when screaming was heard outside, the two's heads snapping up, they running towards a window and looking out.

"What the hell?!" Lizzie yelled, gasping as she saw students being flung around by strange creatures.

"Lizzie!" Usagi said, "Stay up here! I'm going to go get help!" With that said, the blonde dashed out of the room and towards the entrance, holding her hands in front of her. Materializing within them appeared the Legendary Moon Chalice.

"Moon Eternal Power, Make Up!" She yelled, quickly transforming into Eternal Sailormoon. Dashing outside, she skidded to a halt in front of one of the monstrous _Daimons_. Whipping her Eternal Taer out, she struck a pose.

"It's Sailormoon!" The students exclaimed, cheering for the Sailor Solider.

"Foul Creatures!" Sailormoon exclaimed, gaining the _Daimon'_s attention, "I will not allow you to harm innocent students of this fine school! For I am t he fighter of Love and Justice, Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon!" She swung her hands around and struck her classic pose, "And in the name of the Moon, I shall punish you!" The figure on the roof chuckled,

"So, you finally show yourself, Sailormoon," She yelled smugly, "_Daimons_, kill her!" The _Daimons_ charged forward, rushing towards her. Holding her Taer out again, Sailormoon swung it backwards,

"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!!" She yelled, shooting out beams of bright pink light at the _Daimons_. As it shot out, it blasted them back, destroying the nearest one's arm and part of its torso…but that was it. "What…?!" She exclaimed, blinking dumb foundedly at the patricianly destroyed monster.

"Hahahaha!" The women on the roof chackled, smirking widely, "We've gotten MUCH stronger sense you last faced us, Sailormoon!"

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" The three voices rang out, their attacks merging together and shooting at the Daimons, destroying what Sailormoon had nearly done.

"Mercury! Venus! Jupiter!" Sailormoon exclaimed, glad to see them. The three Inner Senshi strike poses.

"With the blessings of the Planet of Ice and Water, I am the Brilliant Solider! Sailormercury!"

"I am the Senshi of Passion, the Goddess of Love! Sailorvenus!"

"And I am the Senshi of Thunder of Lighting! With the blessings of Jupiter, I am Sailorjupiter! We are here!" The three strike another pose, the _Daimons_ hissing.

"Hmph, so the Sailor Saps have arrived, big deal…Get them!" The figure yelled.

"Space Turbulence!"

"Violin Submarine Tide!" The two attacks of the Outer Senshi joined together, blasting at the back of one of the _Daimons_, blowing it apart. Note: these are attacks that these two only have in the Manga.

"Uranus and Neptune!" Moon gasped, smiling, "Lets finish this one..!" The two Outer Senshi joined the Inners, ready to attack when someone else did…

"Cancer Crushing Force!"

"Blazing Fury!" Two voices yelled, the ground shaking as a beam of light split through the earth, moving under the _Daimon_, as wind rushed past the Senshi and over it. Suddenly, the light shot up from the ground into the _Daimon_, as an invisible force fell down upon it, slicing it as well as crushing it to a pulp, blood and gore splattering everywhere…making things much more sloppy compared to the other Senshi's attacks. The Sol Senshi looked over to where the attacks came from…and standing there, were two more Senshi!

One of them was kneeling, with a long sword against the ground, and she slowly stood up, being quite tall- possibly taller then Sailoruranus was. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back into two sloppy buns, tied with short, bright blue ribbons. She wore a golden bangle around her neck, with a bright blue sailor collar that had one golden stripe along it. Her bodice was quite strange, having no ribbons or broaches on it, stopping at her bust and forming an inverted v down her sides, edged with gold. This Senshi's belt was golden, with a long silk bright blue skirt from it, wrapped around her waist like a towel would be, ending just above her knees. She wore a silver gauntlet on her left arm, coming to a point at her elbow and middle finger, edged with gold. On her right arm rested a silver wrist brace, with a bright blue finger-less glove under it. She wore short white boots that came to her ankle, forming an inverted v at her ankle, and sweeping backwards.

"Justice is blind," This tall Senshi said, lifting her long sword up, "And through my eyes she sees! I am Sailor Libra!" She swung her sword in front of her, striking a pose, "I'll make sure she doesn't miss a thing!"

The other Senshi had a very bizarre, yet elegant, fuku. She had dark pink, short wispy hair, brushed away from her eyes and curling around her chin. A strange chocker rested on her neck, silver and circling it, but not actually touching her skin. She had a pale ice blue collar, edged with silver. Her bodice was silver and along the sides was ice blue, coming up and curling under her bust, forming an elegant design while accenting her curves. She had silver rings hovering around her upper arms, like sleeves, but again not touching her skin. Her skirts were double layered and pleated, the top being ice blue edged with silver, the bottom being silver edged with ice blue. Her ribbons were long, and translucent. The bottom ribbon was ice blue, edged with silver and ending at her knees, the lower one silver and being longer. Around her wrists were two silver rings, hovering above her skin, and very short silver gloves just below them, coming to v at her middle finger, edged with ice blue. At her knees, two ice blue swirls came up, curling under the top and bottom of her knees. Below it was a boot style similar to the Stars fuku, save shorter. These were silver edged with ice blue along the v. In her hands hovered a strange weapon- a grapefruit sized ice blue sphere, with two inter-twining silver circles hovering around them.

"I am the Orbiter of the Earth, the strength of its people!" This shorter Senshi yelled, striking a pose, "Sailor Cancer! Fear the Crab Women!"

"Huh?" Eternal Sailormoon asked, blinking and staring at the two, "New Senshi?!" Sailoruranus imminently took a defensive stance in front of Sailormoon.

"So, you've finally decided to come…Zodiac!" The figure exclaimed, smirking some, "I'll leave for now…heh heh." Jumping backwards off of the fence, the cloaked figure disappeared into the shadows.

"Who are you…?!" Uranus demanded, glaring at the two new Senshi, "What do you want?" The two Senshi walked up and bowed before Sailormoon, lowing their heads.

"We mean you no harm," Sailor Cancer said, looking upwards at the defensive Uranus, "We wish to protect our Princess."

"We failed to protect her once, and now we want to now, or at least try," Libra added, looking over Uranus slowly and turning her sword around, handing the butt to her, "We are not you're enemies, Princess of Uranus." Uranus gasped and was taken aback somewhat, knowing that that gesture Libra had performed was a sign of surrender.

"Who are you…?" Sailormoon asked, looking down at the two kneeling girls.

"For now, we are the Zodiac Senshi, Cancer and Libra," Cancer started, looking up into the eyes of the Moon Princess, "And we are your allies. But that is all you can know for now."

"…Who was that women? Why have the Death Busters returned??" Sailorvenus asked, the two Zodiac stood up.

"She's a minion of evil, obviously," Libra replied, "But we can't be sure who she really is yet. As for the 'Death Busters,' what the heck are you guys talking about?"

"An enemy we thought we defeated," Sailormercury told them, her brow furrowing slightly.

"We bid you good day, Princess," Cancer said, bowing gently, "And take care, the Darkness is coming…" With that, the two mysterious Senshi jumped backwards and faded away.

"…The Darkness?" Sailorneptune asked, frowning slightly.

The cloaked figure, the one who attacked Juuban High, appeared again in the dark lab room. She kneeled down and lowered her head to the other figure there.

"Did you gather _hoste_ for her?" The standing figure asked, glancing over her shoulder to the kneeling one. The cloaked figure lowered her head, holding her hands outward.

"I collected very little, but hopefully it will do…" She said, energy seeping from her hands and gathering within a crystal resting on one of the tables. The standing figure's head snapped to the crystal. "Two Zodiac Senshi appeared, they hindered from more collection." A loud crash was heard as the standing figure swiped her hand across the table, destroying rows of glass test tubes.

"Not only do you fail to collect multitudes of _hoste_ for the _Shadow_," She yelled, turning towards the kneeling figure with rage burning in her red eyes, "But you've let two of twelve awaken!!" Blood dripped from her hand, her fists clenching and shaking, "You kill them off _NOW_, or I will have your head! If two are awake, who knows how many are left!"

"Yes, ma'am…" The kneeling figure said, glancing up at the raging women before her, her eyes flashing a bright blue color, "…It shall be done…" Standing up, the cloaked figure walked out of the room.


	2. A Dark Premonition!

__

thoughts

Authors Notes

Scene Change/Time break

****

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon: Eternal Darkness Episode 2- _A Dark Premonition! Mugan Gauken is Revived?_**

It was well into 10 AM as Usagi slept comfortably on her bed. Her face nuzzled into her pillow, the blankets wrapped around her, the wavy blonde hair on her head lying against her back. Ahh, yes, how she LOVED Saturdays! She could sleep in, relax, and hang out…do typical teenager stuff, without worrying about school. Although she had little to worry about, aside from sleep, it had come to Luna's attention that yelling would not wake up Usagi. She had been yelling at the Ondago girl for nearly an hour, her voice was horse now. The black cat grumbled to herself, sighing and extending her claws from her paw. Sometimes this girl was SO irresponsible! Forgetting totally about the meeting scheduled for the Sailor team! She wished that Usagi would grow up…and hopefully what Luna was about to do would make her realize her mistake.

"EEEYAAA!!" Usagi suddenly screamed, sitting bolt upright in her bed and putting her hands to her bleeding face. Well, THAT certainly got her attention! She glared at her cat between her fingers, "What was THAT for, Luna?!" She demanded, quickly reaching for some tissues to whip the blood from her face. Luna sighed, shaking her head slowly.

"I've been TRYING to wake you up for over an hour!" She yelled, glaring at Usagi, "But you just wouldn't hear me! So I had to resort to drastic measures!" The cat lifted her paw up, extending her now slightly bloody claws again.

"Luuunaa! Its Saturday! I should be able to sleep in!" The blonde retorted, "Why did you have to claw my pretty face when I can sleep in?!" Luna, in turn, gave an exasperated sigh, a vein popping under her black fur, "Haven't you forgotten the meeting today?" She asked, eyeing the rabbit slightly. The girl eeped and quickly sprung out of bed, throwing some cloths on, rushing to the bathroom while doing her hair.

"Ack! Why didn't you tell me soonerr?" She hollered, quickly brushing her teeth and checking herself over to make sure she was suitable to go out, "Rei is going to kill me!" Usagi zoomed out of the bathroom and down the stairs, grabbing some toast and rushing out the door to the Hiwaka Jinja, Luna at her heals.

"Baka Usagi!" Rei yelled, her eyes closed and a glare across her face. She was sweeping the walk at the shrine, the other Sol Senshi sitting around it. "She's ALWAYS late! Ugh!" She gripped at her broom threateningly, as if ready to whap Usagi over the head with her broom. They were all there…with the exception of Usagi and Mamoru. Mamoru was usually on time…but for some reason today he was not.

"So…" Ami broke the ice, looking around to the faces of her friends, "Do you all understand what happened yesterday at Juuban Highschool?" Those who were not there- Rei, Setsuna and Hotaru- nodded their heads.

"Apparently _Daimons_ attacked the school," Setsuna filled in, her face calm as usual, " They were much stronger then before. How they gained such strength, or even how they survived, is beyond my reasoning." Hotaru's usually bright eyes darkened as she stared at the ground,

"I missed a spot…" She said darkly, "Somehow…some of them must have escaped the Silence I brought upon their world and to the Triangle Delta." Obviously the small girl felt responsible for the Death Busters to have returned. Makoto leaned back and folded her arms behind her head.

"But, what also bugs me is that girl on the roof…she just LEFT!" She added, her eyes closing, "I don't understand why she left after she saw those two Zodiac…" Before anyone could respond, Usagi burst into the scene, doubling over so her hands were on her knees, panting loudly. "Ahh…I'm sorry…I'm late!" She managed to say between puffs, swallowing to regain her composer. Luna hopped off of Usagi's shoulder, just before Rei smacked her upside the head with her broom. "ACK!" Usagi fell to the ground.

"BAKA Usagi!!" She yelled, crossing her arms and huffing down at her, "Couldn't you TRY not to be LATE all the time?! Its FRUSTRAITING!" Usagi sat up and sniffed loudly, "Y-you're always so MEAN to me, Rei!" She whined, ready to break into a crying fit.

"Usagi-chan," Minako stated, looking down to the other blonde, "This isn't a time to be crying! We need to discuss some things." Usagi sniffed loudly, trying not to cry. She slowly lifted herself from the ground, whipping her eyes of her tears. Obviously she was upset with how Rei treated her, but the other Senshi were used to it by now. Taking a deep breath and trying to calm down, the blonde sat down by the group, looking around and putting her hands under her legs, slowly regaining her happy disposition.

"So, what were you guy's talking about?" She asked, swinging her legs back and forth slightly, looking around them with a smile plastered across her face. Rei glared at Usagi again, continuing to sweep the walk, "If you had shown up on TIME, you wouldn't have asked that question, _baka!_" Usagi winced when Rei said that word, she said it with such anger and disgust.

"Now now, be nice to her!" Minako blinked, "I almost arrived a little late to…eh heh…" She sweatdroped, reaching a hand up to her mouth and coughing slightly, "Anyways, we were talking about those Zodiac Senshi, the Death Buster's revival and why that weird girl left suddenly." Usagi nodded her head and understood.

"So, uh…do we have any conclusions about it?" She looked around the group, "Or something? Come on, You've been meeting for an hour now! You must've come up with SOMETHING…"

"Sadly, no…" Ami sighed out, "We're trying to figure out about those Zodiac Senshi, mainly…They could be like the Animamates, from another galaxy." Haruka's brows furrowed, "I doubt it, they knelt before Ondago and called her their Princess. And that tall one- Libra, I think- turned her sword over to me…It's a sign of surrender. Yet still, I feel like I cannot trust them." Usagi looked worried, biting onto her lower lip.

"They helped us kill that _Daimon_… they can't be all that bad! I mean, they just…came and helped us!" She tried to argue, leaning forward from her seat with a slightly worried expression across her face. Setsuna solemnly shook her head.

"However, from what I have heard, they did not reveal themselves, say their intentions nor inform us of why they called you princess." She said, Minako nodding her head agreeing, "Aside from that, even from my position as the Guardian of the Gates of Time, I have never heard of, nor seen, these 'Zodiac Senshi' as you call them."

"I never recalled anything of that nature from the Silver Millennium," Luna added in, "Nor have I heard of anything from Queen Selenity herself mention them to me. I find it very odd and suspicious."

"Luna is right," Michiru sighed, "I attempted to see if my Mirror would tell the truth behind them, but a dark shadow overcame it and I could see nothing. We do not know their intentions; they could be putting on a farce to deceive us, and could very well be evil Senshi, like the Animamates." Usagi slowly looked down to her feet, sniffing slightly. Her bright blue eyes stared at the cracks of the pavement of the Temple, taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh. Obviously, the decision was made- they would not yet accept the Zodiac Senshi as allies or friends yet. Even if they did call her their Princess, the group believed that they could not be trusted yet. Trying to argue with them would not change their mind, but Usagi tried anyway.

"But…if they were Evil, why would they surrender..?" She whimpered, looking up to them. As she suspected, their faces remained solid and determined. Of course, it didn't work. Biting onto her lip, Usagi suddenly got an idea, looking over to Rei, "Rei-chan, have you done a reading about the situation yet? Or about the Zodiac Senshi?" The dark-haired priestess shook her head.

"No, I haven't… I've been busy with this meeting plus taking care of the temple. For once, you have a GOOD idea, Usagi!" Picking her broom up, Rei headed towards the Temple, gesturing for the others to follow. However, before the group could enter the building, Mamoru made his fashionably late appearance. Aheming, he got the attention of the Sailorsenshi, holding a newspaper in his hand. Slowly, he unrolled it, revealing a headline in bold letters.

"Mugan Gauken," He started in an aggressive tone, "Has been revived…"

Remaining along the sidewalk in front of the Hiwaka Jinja, looking up the stairs was a familiar figure…of a strange girl of Darkness, the same girl who had arrived in Haruka and Michiru's class. Ashi Hotaru. Standing in the middle of the sidewalk and looking up the steps with her empty, dark violet eyes, her hair blew behind her in a gentle breeze. She wore an oversized black blouse, with the sleeves down to her wrists, the edges lined with purple. On her legs she had dark blue jeans with purple flame running up them, and black fingerless gloves. She had on a necklace with a pentagram in it Circle with a star, although her dark clothing was not the only reason why people walking by avoided her. Some sort of dark shadow loomed over her head, a shadow and darkness that could even be felt by normal people. Looking up the steeps, Ashi slowly clenched her fists.

"Sailorsenshi…" She said in a low, quiet voice, "Soon, more pain will come to you, as a Darkness you have never felt before will consume your souls…they will not reach Nirvana." Her voice grew darker, in a tone that only she could hear, "Soon, very soon…the Shadow will come…I know I will hurt you, but I do not have a choice…the Demon calls. She is always calling…and I cannot control her. Be warned…"

Ashi Hotaru knew very well that they could not hear her, could not hear her warning. This did not keep her from saying it, and knew they would find out on their own. The Darkness...it calls, and it is coming. Looking down to her feet, then turning away from the Shrine, Ashi slowly slid to face one direction down the sidewalk, continuing on her way.

After the group went inside of the shrine, to the Fire room, Ami took the article Mamoru found and read it aloud to everyone. Apparently, almost as soon as the wreckage of the old Mugan Gauken was cleared away from Pharaoh 90 and Saturn destroying the place, the construction began. No one knew who funded it, since Professor Tomoe had vanished, as did his young daughter, Hotaru. Both were presumed dead; However, someone, somewhere funded for it's reconstruction. The new school was thought to be an office building, until it's opening a few weeks ago. The Newspapers finally were able to get a report in on it, and also advertising the enrollment for Tokyo's best and brightest students. The school, now named Shin Mugan Gauken, had even higher standards of enrollment, as well as more difficult courses.

The Senshi, wanting to investigate, selected Ami to go to the school tomorrow to take a Tour and to see if anything was amiss. But right now, wanting insight on the recent, strange happenings, the group was gathered in the fire reading room, Rei sitting before the fire with her hands held before her.

"_Chi, Kaze, Hi, Sui, Tetsu, Ki…_" She chanted out, her eyes closed as the fire blazed before her Translation: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Iron, Tree. Slowly, her dusty purple eyes opened, glazed over completely as if she was in a trance. They opened half-way, staring at the dancing flame, the fire reflecting within her hazy eyes. "Spirit of life, guide me to my destination, show me the way…" She whispered in a hushed tone, the fire shooting upwards and blazing even brighter. Quite suddenly, the flames turned black, flickering that way for a few seconds, before it returned. Rei's eyes widened before the pupils returned to them, falling backwards onto her hands as she gasped out.

"Rei-chan!" Usagi gasped, getting up and going over to her friend, who slowly raised herself up. "What happened, what did you see?" Putting a hand over her chest and panting a little, Rei closed her eyes and took a deep breath, slowly turning to face the others. After a few moments of sitting there silently, her eyes reopened as she looked at her friends and allies.

"It was only brief…when the flame turned black, I saw…" Slowly, she put her hand to her forehead, the images flashing in her mind, "I saw a great blackness surrounding Tokyo, emanating from the Harbor…from Mugan Gauken. A blackness which spread so fast I could barely see the city within a few seconds! It was almost like…Pharaoh 90 had arisen again to consume the planet…"

"…Does that mean, my attack did not fully destroy him…?" Hotaru questioned with darkness in her voice, a glare crossing her face as her eyes turned cold and dark. Slowly Rei shook her head.

"It…It was different then him, something much bigger and much darker. There was a great storm…and black lightning! The shadows started to consume all…and then the vision, it just STOPPED…all I could hear…was laughter…such evil laughter!" Rei shook her head and held it tightly, "I think…we need to check out Shin Mugan Gauken quickly…before all of this happens. Quickly!" She exclaimed, "I think someone else should go with Ami-chan incase something happens…I will stay here and see if anything else comes."

With that, the group nodded and went their separate ways…Makoto accompanying Ami to Shin Mugan Gauken.

"So that's Shin Mugan Gauken," Makoto mused, shading her eyes from the sunlight as she stared up at the bigger building, "It's even bigger then the original school!"

The two, Ami and Makoto, stood within some bushes to the side of the complex. The building itself was probably at least twice the side of the original Mugan Gauken, plus it had a complex before it. A garden and greenhouse were behind the building, a rather extensive gymnasium, including Football Soccer in America, American Football, Track, field, and other such things inside of it, and some outdoor fields as well. Surrounding the building, and mostly in the front, was a large complex area. The complex consisted of a large open area, drawn in a semi-circle around the front of the building. The walways were done with marble, quartz and granite, giving it an interesting feel of different stones. They were arranged in a pattern; the outer edge of the circle was granite, while resting in the center of the half-circle was the top half of a five-pointed star, made of marble. Between the outer ring and the star was the sparkling quartz…just the entrance alone would cost a fortune! Probably millions of yen Around 150 yen is about a dollar here. It changes. Resting at some points along the outer circle, and along the star, were the occasional grouping of bushes, trees and park benches. Makoto was amazed at the design of the outside, wondering what the building would look like INSIDE.

The school's fuku's had the same basic design of the old ones, except the colors were different. The shirts, where white, regardless of the time of year, with silver vests resting over them. The collars were black, with wine red ribbons hanging from them. The skirts were wine red, with black, silver and white plaid lines crossing over the creases. The male's fuku consisted of wine red plaid pants, similar to the skirts, with white shirts under black jackets. Several students were around, odd for a Sunday, but then again it was a high-class, privet school.

Sitting at one of the shrubbery settings was Ami, staring down at her mini super computer, typing furiously on it. Makoto, however, was staring in amazement at the complex of the school and the building, nodding and saying hello to anyone who passed and looked at them. After admiring the building and construction for a while, the brunette turned to her genius friend.

"So, did you find anything yet?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Ami sighed and closed her computer, putting it inside of her pocket and raising to her feet. Straightening her skirt, she looked up towards her taller friend.

"Unfortunately, I can't seem to find anything odd from the building itself- or the outside, at least. I'm not picking up anything…we may need to go inside and take a tour." Ami shook her head some as she spoke, looking up at the sky, towards the harbor, just in the distance. The sun was beginning to set, coloring the sky a gentle orange and pink color, the light reflecting off of the waters, crashing against the shore. There was not a single dark cloud in the sky, only clouds in their normal patterns decorating the sky with array of yellow, orange and pink, "However…" She continued, "I'm not sure if they will still be giving tours at this hour." Makoto shrugged and headed towards the building,

"Well, it won't hurt to try, will it?" She grinned and turned back to Ami, grasping her hand and pulling her along, "Come on! Maybe we can catch the last tour!" Ami nodded slowly, following with her friend as they headed towards the expensive looking building.

Upon reaching the covered entrance way, the two noticed several students were leaving the building, going home for the day. Once Ami and Makoto arrived at the full-glass doors, they opened automatically, inviting them into an almost…lobby-like area. The lobby was made from solid marble, a feet that was difficult to achieve. Makoto looked around the room with awe, her feet walking against a soft, plush wine red rug, before continuing onto the marble floor. There were plants around the room, mainly at the doorways and next to the main desk, some couches and chairs along the parameters, with pillars of marble lining the entrance way. Once they got to the desk, two people were there, a secretary person, talking on the phone and writing in some book, and next to her was a student.

The student had rather fair skin, perhaps even paler then Hotaru's skin color, but not pale enough to look sickly. She had bright green eyes, and she smiled up towards the two with a gentle grin. Strawberry blonde bangs curled around her chin, framing her face cutely, hanging loose. The remainder of her hair was pulled into a loose, long braid, hanging over her shoulder and sitting in her lap. Her hands were folded in her lap as she nodded towards the two girls.

"Ohayo, and welcome to Shin Mugan Gauken!" She said in a sweet voice, with an accent of sorts…it was a little difficult to understand her with it. Ami and Makoto looked towards each other, wondering what the accent was, "How may I help you? If you wish to enroll, please wait until the secretary is talking to her mother…" Ami started to talk, but was cut off by Makoto,

"We would like to take a tour!" The brunette exclaimed, Ami nodding her head in agreement, "Yes, we would, please," She added in. The girl looked down, sighing and then looking back up, her smile fading slightly.

"I'm sorry, but you just missed the last tour of the day…" She said in a slightly sad tone, "I don't want to upset you, but…school will be done soon, and all tours will be completed within the hour. If you would like a tour, try coming again tomorrow!" She smiled again. Makoto sighed,

"I see, well, thank you!" The two girls bowed to the one at the desk, before turning away. "I knew we were too late…" Ami sighed with some sadness in her voice, Makoto waving her hand at her friend. "Naw, don't worry…we can just come tomorrow! Maybe then we can convince Usagi to come with us." The girl at the desk tilted her head at the two as they walked away.

"Strange…I sense something familiar about them. Like I've seen them somewhere before…" She mused to herself, shaking her head again, "Must just be my imagination!"

"Don't think you can get away so easily…" A voice said as it watched Makoto and Ami walking towards the nearest bus stop from Shin Mugan Gauken, "Teehee, I guess the _Shadow_ will attract them and send some _Daimons_ after them! Then, right before they die, she will consume the _Hoste…_Hahahaha!"

Suddenly, Makoto stopped in her tracks as she turned around to face the school behind them, the sun reflecting off of it's windows. Ami stopped shortly after her, turning around to face the taller girl.

"What is it, Mako-chan?" She asked, before realizing what Makoto had stopped for…dark energy! She turned around fully, walking over to her friend. Suddenly, coming down from the street where they were facing came screams, and some sort of…dark mist began to coil around their ankles. "What…?" The two looked towards each other, quickly rushing off to a secluded alleyway to transform.

"Jupiter Crystal Power…"

"Mercury Crystal Power…"

"Make UP!" They yelled in unison and in a flurry of blue and green, Eternal Sailorjupiter and Mercury stood, quickly rushing out of the alley and towards the sound of the screams and the immense dark energy they felt. Appearing on the scene, they noticed black mist floating up to their knees, slowly dissipating. They could not see the source of the screams as of yet, as all of the people in the area had fled by now. After standing there for a few moments, waiting for the mist to clear, they noticed something on the ground…a person! It- a man- was laying on his back, a large, gaping, twisted hole in his chest, right where his heart would be. His entire body was white, as if he head been dead for hours…and yet, his wounds were fresh…VERY fresh. Blood was splattered around his chest, and was now flowing out in large pools form his back. It was now beginning to cover the sidewalk he was laying on, flowing down to the street, as blood flowed from the wound in his chest…his heart was completely gone as well. More blood was flowing from his mouth, probably from being stabbed, but it was flowing out in large amounts- Sailormercury assumed that it happened whenever whoever stabbed him pulled their weapon out. Inside of the hole, you could clearly see his lungs and diaphragm…something to have shattered his collar bone must've been very powerful! Mercury kneeled down by this poor soul…something was familiar about this corpse, just like when Chibi-usa had had her _Hoste _stolen by Mistress 9! While she was observing the damage done to this fellow, Jupiter growled out,

"Mercury, we have our culprit!" She yelled, pointing towards a large, menacing _Daimon_. Sailormercury rose to her feet, "Rest in peace, you poor, poor soul…" She then looked upwards towards the _Daimon_ looming before them, as it growled, "That can't be right…the wound couldn't have been caused by that mass! It's too clean…"

"Whatever did it, we've got to deal with that monster NOW, regardless if it killed this guy or not!" Crossing her arms over her chest, Jupiter began to spin around, "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" She yelled, swinging her arms outwards and releasing bolts of green lightning towards the _Daimon._

"Right!" Mercury nodded, holding her hands out as her harp appeared, "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" As she yelled it, streams of ice flowed from the harp, surrounding the bolts of green lighting. The attacks merged together, forming bolts of ice water with lighting crackling around them. The attack grew close towards the monster, before hitting it with an explosion of green energy, the ice shattering and freezing part of it's body. It growled loudly. A good portion was destroyed of it's front, but most of it still remained. "I don't believe it…it was barely even phased! The Death Busters have gained such incredible strength…!" After squirming a bit, the _Daimon _broke free of the ice surrounding it, growling and lunging towards the two Sailorsenshi.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury yelled, releasing a burst of bubbles, which quickly turned into fog, confusing the monster. Darting to the sides of it, Jupiter and Mercury moved out of it's way and prepared another attack.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" The two yelled out, releasing their attacks out towards the _Daimon, _the attacks crashing into it's sides. Upon the mist clearing, they managed to blow off some appendages from the horrific visage, but the two were becoming tired, soon they would not have enough energy to continue the battle.

"Holy Sphere!" A voice called out from behind the group, all three beings- two Senshi and one monster- turned to face the voice. Shooting out towards them came an ice blue sphere, with two silver rings surrounding it, rocketed towards them. Wanting to get out of the way, Mercury and Jupiter began to move to the sides, jumping aside in hopes to avoid whatever attack was heading their way. The sphere hit the _Daimon_, who just stood there, exploding with bright white light, sending waves of light out from it and flowing right though Mercury and Jupiter. The two looked up once the light faded, finding that the attack only damaged the monster, having blown a good chunk out of it, leaving it a staggering appendage. "Quickly." The voice said.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Making a rebound from the attack, giving them enough time to attack, the Senshi of Lighting and Ice released their attacks, blowing the remainder of the _Daimon _to hell. Although the _Daimons_ were much stronger then before, it still required a good deal of attacking to damage and destroy them…looking about, the two Senshi searched for their helper…finding Sailorcancer there with her sphere. She bowed her head slightly, before jumping away from the two without saying a word.

"…Strange." Jupiter muttered, looking around and noting no one was around, allowed herself to de-henshin. Mercury did the same, "We need to watch out for those Death Busters…Although we can defeat them if we work together, it still takes a great deal of energy to kill 'em. Jeez…Two years and they get a HELL of a lot stronger." Makoto scratched her head and sighed out.

"And I fear," Ami added, "…That they may yet get stronger then they already are…The Death Busters may be more then we can handle this time…"


	3. Strange Happenings a a School!

__

Thoughts 

Authors Notes

Time break/Scene change

****

Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon: Eternal Darkness Episode 3- _Strange Happenings at a School! An Angel of Death Approaches._

"Why do I have to go?!" Usagi whined, dragging after Ami, "I've already been in school today! I don't want to go to another school again!" Both were still clad in their Juuban High School uniforms, having freshly left their normal school and were heading towards Mugen Gauken. "Why couldn't you take Mina-chan or Haruka or Michiru…?" Ami sighed softly, not bothering to turn back towards her shorter friend.

"Mina-chan had volleyball practice," She said with an exasperated tone to her voice, "We shouldn't ALWAYS rely on the Outers for help in these situations! It was decided that this matter is for the Inners. Mako-chan was planning to go, but she had a make-up test, you know. Besides, if it is involved with the enemy, you have every right to investigate, like everyone else, Usagi-chan." Usagi sighed loudly again, straightening up. Moving quicker, she fell into steep with Ami, grumbling under her breath.

"I guess…" She admitted, crossing her arms and looking away, "But once we're done there, we're going to Crown! Don't imminently go study afterwards, Ami-chan!"

Ami blinked and turned her head to the other girl, "Why? What's wrong with studying?" Usagi rolled her eyes and unfolded her arms.

"You don't get it still, do you Ami-chan?" She asked, "Life isn't just about studying! You need to go out and do things!"

"I agree," Said a deep female voice from behind the two girls. Usagi froze in her places, quickly turning her head around to face whomever was behind them, "You need to do things you enjoy instead of just sitting around in a stuffy room surrounded by books! Haha!" Standing behind the two girls was the tall American transfer student, Elizabeth Duran- or Lizzie, as she insisted everyone call her- and next to her was the shorter English transfer student, Enala Lawrence.

"Lizzie-chan! Enala-chan!" Usagi exclaimed, totally forgetting that the two might have overheard their conversation, turning fully around and skipping over to them, "I didn't know you were behind us!" Ami blinked and turned her head as well, having no idea who Lizzie was.

"Usagi-chan…who is the tall girl …?" She paused for a moment, "And I rather enjoy studying. Is that so wrong?" Lizzie let out another full-hearted laugh, scratching her head idly.

"Naw, nothin' wrong with that! I just think that people who study are wasting time…but hey, what ever floats your boat, eh? Oh, and I'm Lizzie, from America. Nice ta meet 'cha." Lizzie's Japanese was rather course and somewhat difficult to understand, as if she was speaking with more of an Osaka dialect instead of normal, traditional Japanese. She was a little difficult to understand, actually, but at least the important thing was her name was known.

"Yeah! Lizzie-chan is in Mako-chan's class!" Usagi exclaimed, pointing to the much taller girl, "She's an Anime Otaku! She says that she loves Sailormoon! It's one of my favorites, too." Ami bowed respectfully at Lizzie.

"Pleasure to meet you, 'Lizzie'-san. I am Mizuno Ami," As always, Ami was the polite one, "You would fit right in with Mina-chan, she loves Sailormoon and Sailor V, her favorite Anime." Lizzie laughed again, scratching her head.

"Yeah, well, the dubbing is TERRIBLE for both of 'em!" She exclaimed, lowering her hand and grinning widely, "By the way, we couldn't help but overhear…why are you two heading to Shin Mugen Gauken..?" Usagi suddenly got quite the comical expression on her face, being a combination between shock, worry and 'OMG WHAT IF THEY HEARD?!. She almost gurked as if to give it away, before Ami steeped in and saved the day.

"Back before the original building was destroyed," She said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I was invited to take courses there. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend before the Sailorsenshi destroyed it. I am thinking of perhaps taking a few extra courses there, while still going to Juuban. Usagi-chan is coming with me so I won't have to go alone this time. The original place was rather creepy…" Enala, who had just been standing there politely, slowly nodded her head.

"I read about it in the papers. It was taken over by some evil beings, and Professor Tomoe, the creator and financial donor of it was corrupted as well," She explained, "It was destroyed by some sort of powerful force. I do not blame you for believing that it is creepy." Enala smiled sweetly at the two standing in front of her, "Lizzie and I were going to go there as well…my parents are debating if I should enroll there instead. I believe that I should check it out before I say alright."

"Great!" Usagi exclaimed, grasping one hand from Lizzie and another from Enala, "You two can come with us! It will be much more fun going with you two then just going with Ami…I'll feel so out of place there with all of these smart people…sniffsniff." Ami's brows furrowed slightly at the suggestion, tapping Usagi on the shoulder. When the blonde looked over to her, Ami whispered in a voice only she could hear,

"Usagi-chan, are you sure? What if we run into something dangerous…? They could get hurt, and we can't henshin in front of them…" Usagi pouted,

"It'll be fine, Ami-chan!" She grinned, turning back to Enala and Lizzie, "So, do you two want to come with us?" Lizzie and Enala looked at each other skeptically, Lizzie turning back to Ami and Usagi,

"Sure. Hey, you won't be alone either Usagi! School isn't necessarily my strong point…but I do try." Lizzie admitted, laughing nervously again.

"Great!" With that, the group of four girls walked off towards the Tokyo Bay.

Once again, a figure in a lab coat was standing within a dark, shadowed lab. Her back was facing towards the doorway, hands examining a council before her. Piercing red eyes looked out from behind rectangular glasses, a twisted smirk across her face. Her fingers moved over the keys before her, the screen being the only illumination in the entire room.

"Excellent," She said, running a tongue over her lips, "Everything is going according to schedule. _They _are growing as quickly as I had hoped, thanks to the _Hoste _gathered by the _Shadow._ I knew I could count on her far more then the other Senshi! HAHAHA! At this rate, the Master will be back in only a few months! AHAHAHAHA!" Throwing her head back, the women with the red eyes cackled madly, her arms to the side in a typical evil-laughter pose. For several minutes, she stood there laughing like an insane woman, before it slowly died down to laughing, then to giggling, then to silence.

"Madam," A voice said from behind her, "Are you quite done laughing?" The red eyed woman turned around, facing the cloaked figured with the brown hair.

"What is it, Evil?" She asked, glaring slightly at the other woman.

"I have done a basic analyses of the Shin Mugen Gauken building. There are several students in there with strong souls…shall I attack and take them for the Master?" The woman, who was only referred to as 'Evil', informed.

"Try not to make a mess of things this time, Evil. I don't want blood all over the place! If you really want to torture them slowly, bring them back here. We must remain inconspicuous." The red-eyed woman informed, turning back around to face the screen.

"Yes Ma'am." With that, the cloaked woman, 'Evil,' turned and left the room.

After some bus hopping, walking and chatting, the group of four girls finally arrived at the entrance to Shin Mugen Gauken. The sun was just beginning to set, painting the area in a soft golden light, reflecting brightly off of the glass surface of the main building.

"Wow…" Usagi gawked, staring up at the giant building, walking with her three friends, "This building is huge! It's bigger then the original school…I didn't think it was possible it could get any bigger!"

"It is oddly beautiful, yet…" Enala paused, trying to find the right word, and then translate it into Japanese, "…Frightening at the same time. Somehow it gives me chills looking at its surface. Like it's almost surreal. Perhaps it is just the way the light is reflecting off of the windows. I doubt that there's anything evil about it now." Lizzie nodded her head, folding her arms behind her hair and sighing.

"Well, might as well get this over with…" The other girls within the group nodded their heads, continuing towards the glass sliding doors that marked the entrance. Students were walking in and out of the building, some of them giving odd looks to the group form Juuban. One of the students exiting the building, and heading in the direction the group was in, was the red-haired girl which Makoto and Ami ran into the other day. Spotting the group, she stopped just before them. Because she was sitting before, they did not notice how tall she was- she was perhaps even taller then Haruka! She smiled at the group gently.

"Oh…!" She gasped, looking over to Ami, "You're the girl who missed the tours from before, aren't you?" Ami blinked a few times, before slowly nodding, "Yes. I returned today in hopes of getting a tour this time, with my friends here of course." The girl smiled at them. Enala stared at the girl with an almost shocked expression on her face, though she quickly tried to shake it off. Returning to a normal smile, her expression was so brief that no one noticed.

"Tour hours are over yet again, I'm afraid," The girl said, shaking her head, "They end sooner during the weekdays then the weekend. But…if you want, I can give you four a personal tour. My classes are over, and hopefully they won't mind." Usagi grinned and bounced up and down.

"How exciting! Thank you!" She exclaimed, holding her hand out to the girl, "I'm Tsukino Usagi, by the way. These are my friends, Mizuno Ami," she gestured to Ami, who bowed respectfully, "Duran Lizzie, and Lawrence Enala." She gestured towards each of them. Lizzie waved at the girl, while Enala continued to smile. The girl took Usagi's hand and shook it.

"I am Loren Murry…or in your format, Murry Loren." She bowed slightly at the shoulders, "Please, lets go…" Ami blinked at the girl, Loren, tilting her head.

"Murry-san," She said, "Why are you willing to give us a personal tour? You don't even know us…" Loren chuckled and shook her head,

"I just have a good feeling about you four. My intuition is rarely wrong, I am a good judge of character as well. Besides, you seemed so disappointed yesterday, that I might as well bend the rules a bit for you."

_ Strange… _ Ami thought, looking at Loren with a slightly skeptical expression, the four girls following the much taller European- at least, Ami presumed she was by her name, face and skin-tone- _ I sense something…different about this girl. Some sort of aura…but is it of a Sailorsenshi? _

"Do you think they'll find anything?" The voice of Haruka asked.

"I don't know. My Mirror still refuses to show the Truth," The voice of Michiru responded, "All that I get is blackness. It will not show me anything but darkness, even when I search for answers of the Zodiac."

"Do you think it's a sign they can't be trusted?" Haruka asked again.

"I have a feeling."

"Even though the one called 'Libra,'" Setsuna added on, "Surrendered to you as you said, even I do not know of them. They could very well be false Sailor Senshi, much like the Animamates."

Haruka pushed up from the window seat where she was at, turning around and facing the other two Outer Senshi sitting in the area around her. Michiru was sitting on the floor- on a pillow of course- staring down at her talisman, the Deep Aqua Mirror. A worried and perplexed look was across the delicate features of her face, looking down at the swirling blackness within the mirror's surface. Even with her strong will, and the power of the mirror itself, was not enough to banish the darkness. Not only that, it was becoming increasingly difficult to return it to it's normal reflective surface.

"No matter how hard I try, the murkiness will not dissipate," She sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back against the couch. Setsuna was sitting across from her on an armchair, her eyes closed and in deep thought. Sighing, Haruka walked over to Michiru and kneeled beside her, putting her arms around her lover.

"Michi…" She said, "Don't stress yourself too much. Maybe later we can try again, and channel all of our powers together to destroy the darkness within it." Michiru only sighed, leaning against the stronger woman, "It bothers me that it has never done this before, even with Galaxia and Chaos." Slowly, Setsuna opened her red eyes, looking down to the clouded surface of the Deep Aqua Mirror.

"Even I knew about the secret destiny of our Talisman's, our powers, and the forbidden Senshi of Saturn," She said in a stoic voice, "Yet, it eludes me as to how and why these Zodiac Senshi exist. Queen Selenity kept many secrets, and I knew them. If they truly are from our System, it is a secret that even I do not know of." Michiru slowly sighed, using her will power to return the mirror from the murky darkness back to it's usual reflective surface.

"What disturbs me even more is how the Deathbusters returned," She said, opening her blue eyes to look over at Setsuna, "The _Silence_ which Saturn brought down, as well as bringing it and Pharaoh 90 back to the Tau System, would have destroyed that planet. Any remaining _Daimons_ would have been destroyed with her power. Then you forever sealed the rift between Time and Space, sealing any other hopes that anything from that Dimension could use to enter ours. How was it that some survived the _Silence_ and break through the barrier you created?" Setsuna closed her eyes again and lowered her head.

"I closed forever the gate between the systems…I do not know how any of them, even if some managed to survive the _Silence_, managed to return…"

"Unless there were some remaining here on Earth." The young voice of Hotaru said from beyond the group of the elder Senshi sat. Turning, Setsuna looked over to the young form of the Senshi of Ruin, noticing that her eyes were icy and cold, as it was with her Senshi form. "The only way they could still be alive, from my attack and Setsuna-mama closing the dimension, is that some managed to escape destruction when the other Senshi infiltrated the Mugen Gauken. Or ones that were away when everyone attacked. _That _is the only explanation that can be given as to why some of them are still alive. Though, without my father to create eggs and bodies, I don't know how they multiplied." Once again, it was Sailorsaturn to have thought of the logical explanation for why something happened. Although in a body of a usually happy 13-year-old, Hotaru was wise beyond her years. It was often the Soul of Saturn, which lead her to some insights to such things. "If that is the case, then my job is unfinished. I did not effectively destroy all so everything could live once again…" Haruka stared over at Hotaru with an almost shocked, then a slightly angry expression.

"Hotaru…you're not thinking of…?" She did not finish the sentence. They all knew what she was going to say. Was Saturn planning to drop her Silence Glaive again, destroying the world so the enemy once thought defeated would permanently be so?

"No." Hotaru answered simply, glancing over at each of her adoptive parents, "I cannot drop the Glaive of Silence to bring Destruction. We do not even know of they are on Earth, they could be someplace else." There was a sigh of relief that came from the other three Outer Senshi, "I doubt that they are still within Mugen Gauken. They would not be so stupid to make that same choice again."

"Are you so certain?" Michiru asked, her brows furrowing slightly, "Rei saw a black shadow expand out from the building…"

"It could always be a deception to throw us," Haruka commented, biting down slightly on her thumb nail, "Or it could be that those Zodiac are gathering there. I still don't understand what they are! They're either putting on an elaborate farce, or they're honest…I don't think it's the latter." Setsuna looked back over to Haruka and Michiru, before standing up.

"We cannot be trusting of anything as of yet," She said, "The vision which Rei had, nor the Zodiac. Only when the other's contact us will we know for certain what is going on."

"Yes." The others agreed.

Usagi, Ami, Enala and Lizzie were having a lovely tour by Loren of Shin Mugen Gauken. She had given them extensive explanations of the different courses, classes, and other things as they passed the rooms- much more in-depth and more normal then the original classes that they had. Of course, the extra ones, such as Martial Arts, the tea ceremony and other things of that nature were still there. She had shown them the various labs, libraries, study halls and anything-else that might be of interest. The school, at least on the inside, was basically the same as it was before. White hall-ways with some bulletin boards, notices and other things scattered about. The rooms generally had desks with laptop hook-ups on top of them with dark red carpeting, dry eraser boards and usually lecture podiums. The libraries- which Ami was fascinated with- were many and quite extensive, as well as computer labs. However, while Ami and Enala were fascinated with everything involving the school, both Lizzie and Usagi were growing quite bored with the entire thing. While the stages for acting and libraries actually caught the tall American's eye, practically nothing had caught Usagi's. She was growing more and more bored with the whole thing, yawning slightly every now and again. Turning around to see how everyone was doing, Loren was about to give another enthusiastic explanation, when she noticed the bored expressions on Lizzie and Usagi's faces.

"Oh, dear…" She said, stopping and turning fully around to face them, "I bet this is all very dull to you! I'm sorry. We can go back down if you two want, most of what's up is just classrooms really."

"Err…Sorry..!" Usagi exclaimed, laughing nervously and scratching the back of her head, "School err…isn't really my thing…I'm just here to accompany Ami-chan!" Loren chuckled, petting Usagi on the head.

"It's quite alright. I'll show you all down to the door." She smiled at them.

"Thank you for the tour, Loren-san," Ami said politely, bowing, "I have enjoyed it greatly. I will think about enrolling for some extra courses here, perhaps."

Enala nodded, "I agree. We'll also have to see how much it is for extra courses, right Ami-san?" She smiled over at the girl genius, whom nodded in agreement.

"I WOULD be more then happy to take some acting courses, but…well, I'm kinda mooching offa Enala's fund, and I don't want them to cost more money, when I'm just here for a short while…" Lizzie let out a loud laugh, in which everyone joined in. After laughing for a while, Loren began to head back towards the nearest elevator, the group following her.

"I hope that someday I might have classes with you, Enala-san, Ami-san." She said, turning back and smiling at them. Ami nodded, Enala smiling back at the taller woman.

"Unfortunately for you…someday will not come!" Hissed a dark, ominous voice. The five girls froze in their tracks, before slowly turning around. Almost instantly, Usagi and Ami's eyes went wide, staring at the same cloaked figured who attacked Juuban High School just the other day. Her face was more visible, though her bangs obscured most of her face from view. Peeking out between their stringy, shaggy strips of hair were dark pink, narrow and silted eyes. A wide smirk was crossed across her lips, her body still covered by a black cloak. Holding a hand out, a pink glove covering it, a short black staff appeared within her palms. Only a few feet long, it was narrow and had some dark pink wrapping around the top of it, which burst into jagged petals of a flower. A pink orb rested in the center of it, with a black arch over it, "DIE!" She yelled, swinging it forward and pointed it at Usagi. Releasing a black shot of energy towards the ondago-girl, Usagi only stood there with wide eyes.

"Look out!" Loren yelled, jumping towards Usagi with her arms outstretched. Her hands pushed the shorter girl aside, but moved a fraction of a second too late. Her torso fell right in the path of the blast. It struck her head on, a painful look crossing her face, the blast shooting out through her back and slamming into a nearby wall. Loren fell backwards, crashing against the floor and rolling across it a few times, before stopping. Blood sprayed out from her back, splattering across the nearest wall and the floor below her, streaking her body with her own life fluid. The blast had burned a large hole in her stomach, incinerating anything that might have been in the way- including her stomach and some of her intestines- a pool of the crimson fluid pouring out from Loren's body. She didn't move.

"LOREN!" Usagi cried out, her eyes wide with fear and shock from the brutality of the attack, and how she had been saved by someone she barely knew. Quickly, the blonde girl rushed over to the bloody body of the tall European girl, kneeling down by her, "Loren, please! Don't die…wake up! Wake up…! WAKE UP!" She screamed as she shook Loren, who still did not move. Ami glared over at the mysterious woman, her fists clenching. She couldn't transform- not in front of Enala and Lizzie! What could she do?! The woman just stood there and laughed.

"Foolish girl!" She cackled, "So very foolish…"

"Cancer Constellation Power…" Enala called out, her eyes glaring towards the woman. Lizzie's eyes went wide and she turned to the English girl, "Enala…what're you doing…?!" The pink-haired girl seemed oblivious to what the other girl said,

"…Make-UP!" Enala crossed wrists over her abdomen, an ice blue henshin wand floated over her wrists, two silver circles coming over them. In a flash, a ring formed under her feet, blue fire licking upwards and quickly covered her body from view. For a few moments the flame burned around her, her hand thrusting outwards and gathering the flame in her hand, spinning around and drawing it away like a curtain. The flame gathered into a sphere then solidified, she lifting her hand up and flicking her wrist, two silver rings curling around it. Spinning around slowly, she swung about and struck a pose. Enala was Sailorcancer…?!

"Enala, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Lizzie yelled in English, glaring at the Sailorsenshi, "They're RIGHT THERE! They can't know who we are!!" Of course, both Ami and Usagi were staring at Enala in shock.

"I don't care!" Enala- Sailorcancer- retorted in English, "Loren…she is Capricorn! I won't let _HER _get away with hurting Loren!" Pointing her sphere towards the strange woman, she glared over at her, "Cancer Crushing Force!" Releasing a sphere of white energy, which quickly turned invisible, rushing towards the cloaked woman. She only smirked, standing there before jumping backwards, the blast crashing down against the floor. The entire floor crumbled and threatened to collapse, forming a large crater within it.

"Aww, hell…" Lizzie muttered, holding her hand out as a pen- similar to Cancer's, only gold and bright blue, with a band of light around the sphere- formed within her clutches. "Libra Constellation Power, Make up!" Crossing the pen over her shoulder, then lowering it down, a circle formed under her feet, beams of light shot upwards from it in several incarnates, forming a cylinder around her body. Soon, the beams of light completely covered her from view, remaining that way for a few seconds. Suddenly, piercing through the light was the tip of her sword, slicing through it like paper. The light quickly turned into many pin-points of light, slowly fading away. Holding her sword upwards, Lizzie then rested it on her shoulder, striking a pose. She was Sailorlibra!

"Libra Scale Clash!" Drawing her sword back then swinging it forward, Libra released a burst of light shaped like a scale, rushing towards the cloaked woman.

"Hmph." The woman allowed the blast to hit her, which nailed her with a bright, blinding light. Usagi covered up her eyes, in shock that her two friends where the Zodiac Senshi! "Libra, use your sword on Loren!" The voice of Cancer called out, the light from Libra's attack still flashing in the hall way, "Right!" Libra responded.

"Death's Kiss!" The woman cried out, as the light suddenly stopped as a sphere of dark energy formed within her palm, the same size as the 'scale' that Libra produced. Throwing it outward, in a similar motion that Libra used for her attack, save with her hand and not her weapon. Releasing the sphere of energy, she shot it towards the closest person to her, which happened to be Ami. Still in some sort of shock from the fact that Enala and Lizzie were Sailorcancer and Libra, and that she had no way to transform in front of them, Ami was caught off guard. The attack slammed into her chest, blowing her backwards and into the nearest wall, which was quite a distance away from her. Crashing into it, she slid downwards and remained that way, unmoving. A ghastly looking wound was now across her chest, her skin and muscles being burned away from the force of the woman's attack. Her ribcage, her beating heart, her breathing lungs, all of it could be seen clearly as blood poured down from her massive wound. Ribs were broken. Ami sat there and coughed violently, blood escaping from her lungs and out from her mouth, splattering against her skirt. Her body hunched over and she continued to cough up blood, desperately trying to regain her breath. The blood was filling her lungs too quickly…

"AMI!!" Usagi screamed, rushing forward towards another victim of that evil woman's wrath. Two of her friends were near death because of that woman! What fearsome power…! And the woman cackled insanely. Usagi was too wound up about Ami being so badly wounded, that she didn't even notice, Libra looming over Loren's body.

"Please work…" She muttered, thrusting her sword down into the heart of the fallen girl. Strangely, no blood did not come from the wound, nor did Loren react adversely. In fact, the wound within her abdomen began to close up and heal. "So, Fate has seen that it is not your time to die! Phew…" Usagi slowly looked over towards Loren, who's body had begun to glow with a dark green color. Her eyes widened when she saw Libra's sword embedded in her chest, but also seeing her wound close up.

_ How?! What's going ON here?! _ She thought, staring in shock at what was happening. What was it about that sword? Once Loren was fully healed, Libra withdrew her sword and turned back to the battle commencing. Cancer was firing off multiple 'Crushing Force' attacks at the strange woman, though she managed to dodge them all quite skillfully. "It's time to wake up," Libra said to Loren, rushing forward towards the woman who attacked them. Bringing her sword up and drawing it downward in a slashing motion, Libra aimed her weapon towards the skull of the woman.

"Hmph! Hardly worth the effort!" Evil cackled, bringing her weapon up and skillfully blocking Libra's sword, "Pity. You were always one of the weaker Zodiac, Libra. I see that hasn't changed over the millions of years!" Libra narrowed her eyes at the woman, trying to push backwards against her. How did that woman know who she was? Smirking, the woman shoved Libra's sword aside, landing a sharp kick to her abdomen and knocking her backwards. Holding her side, Libra grunted, growling darkly at the women. Just when Libra, as well as Cancer, were about to release an attack, a bright green flash occurred. Usagi stared as Loren rose to her feet, holding her hands outwards. A green pen, like the one which Libra and Cancer used, formed in her palms.

"ANOTHER one?!" The woman yelled, glaring over at Loren, who had grasped her Henshin item.

"Capricorn Constellation Power…Make-Up!" Once again, another Zodiac was henshining. A circle of green light formed around her feet, vines springing from them and wrapping around her body. Again, after a few moments, they burst out from her and fluttered away from her body in a flurry of leaves. The leaves surrounded her ankles, forming vines along them and her calves, then swirled around her waist, wrists, shoulders and neck, forming vines around them as well. Leaves from the ground swirled up her braid, forming a ring of vines encircling each pleat of her hair. Finally, they surrounded her head and formed a wrath of vines resting over her hair. Spinning around, she struck a pose.

Much like the other Zodiac, Sailorcapricorn had quite a different fuku from the ones the Sol Senshi were used to. Around her neck, wrists, shoulders, waist and calves were intertwining vines, giving her an earthy feel to her. She has a collar of deep forest green on, and a fuku that was much more like armor then a bodice on. Sheets of deep forest green layered upon each other, giving her body solid protection. At her waist there was a metal 'roll' - which the Sol Senshi had, except hers was metal- with multiple black spikes of crystals surrounding her waist. Six pieces of deep forest green silk lay over her legs, one covering her crotch, the other over her butt, while the rest filled in between, the silk being outlined with black. She has simple black baggy gloves on, cut off just past her wrists and without any rolls on them. Finally, she had a pair of deep forest green ballet slippers.

"I am the Senshi of the Forest, the Soul of Life, for I am Sailorcapricorn," Loren said, striking a pose with her wrists crossed, "Feel the Druid's wrath!"

"Loren…" Usagi gasped, staring in awe. The tall Senshi turned around and smiled at Usagi, "Don't fear, Usagi-chan. I know what to do now." Turning back towards the woman, a glare crossed her usually placid face.

"Bitch," The woman hissed, holding her staff out in preparation for an attack. Something about Sailorcapricorn had whipped her insane smirk from her face, and replaced it with a look of pure rage. Steeping forward, Capricorn touched her fingers to the ground, summoning leaves to swirl around her hands.

"Capricorn…" She said quietly, drawing her hand upwards and slowly beginning to spin, creating a trail of leaves in her wake, "Seasonal," the leaves began to fade from green to yellow to orange to red to brown, then back to green. Hugging herself as she continued to spin, she did so for a few moments and then suddenly stopped, pointing her hand to the sky. "Eclipse!" The leaves shot towards the ceiling before the room turned dark, the leaves suddenly shooting down towards the woman in beams of green light. Hissing, the woman managed to be struck by several of the beams, which left scalding, burning marks upon her flesh and body.

"Fucking BITCH!" She yelled, throwing her wand forward, "Shadow Buster!" Releasing a blast of negative energy, shaped like a five-pointed star, she aimed it towards the group of three Zodiac Senshi. The three leaped to the side, the blast driving into the floor, totally blasting through it and continuing downwards to other levels, leaving an angled, star-shaped holes in the floors. Of course, it scared the living daylights out of the students below. Almost as soon as the Zodiac had dodged the attack fired by the mysterious woman, the rushed around her and formed a triangle between them, holding their hands out towards each other.

"Kaleidoscope!" They all chanted together, their individual aura's forming around them. Cancer's was ice blue, Libra's was gold and Capricorn's was a deep color of green. Their symbols appeared on their foreheads, the three lowering their heads down. Their aura's began to merge with each other, forming a dazzling rainbow of colors surrounding them, "Rainbow!" Bright light flashed from their symbols, their auras turning into a burning hot white color, "Distortion!" Opening their eyes, the white aura surrounding the three shot upwards and formed a sphere of rainbow energy, which then exploded and released three shock-waves of color- Ice Blue, Gold and Dark Green-, then erupting with a massive burst of white light. A dome of pure white energy erupted from the center of the triangle, spreading outwards and towards the Zodiac standing there.

"Ahhh!" Usagi gasped, covering her eyes from the blinding white light and the sound of the woman screaming loudly. Through this whole time, Usagi had wondered what to make of everything, though in her panic she had not even thought to call for help. Help to get for Ami. Ami was near death, she could tell, her body was growing cold and the blood just flowed from her mouth. Her chest heaved to get air within her blood-filled lungs. Usagi had no idea what to do, and the Zodiac attacking didn't help clear up her mind. _ Think, Usagi! Think! You have to save Ami-chan!!_ .

Soon, the light died away. The Zodiac stood around in their same formation, a large hole in both the ceiling and the floor from their attack, being dangerously close to their feet. Cancer and Libra looked tired from the fight, panting slightly from the amount of energy they had poured into the last-ditch attack. Capricorn was not as tired, but still looked bedraggled. Usagi looked over to the group, tears welling up in her eyes and running down her cheeks.

"Please!!" She called out, clutching to the dying Ami, "Please, you have to help her! You can't just let her die…! PLEASE!!" She begged, lowering her head down and burring it against Ami's shoulder. The genius was growing colder by the minute. Her breathing was slowing down steadily, the blood soaking her entire body like a sheet of water. Libra looked down at Usagi with pity on her face.

"I can't guarantee that Fate will allow Ami to live…" She said, clutching her sword, "Every time the Justice Blade enters someone, there is a chance that it could kill them instead of reviving them…I can't tell you that my sword will heal her. It may kill her…I'm sorry…" Sailorcancer bit down on her lower lip, turning her head away. She could not heal Ami either.

"My attacks are holy-related…they only harm those with evil in their hearts," She said, trying to keep herself from crying, "They cannot heal…I..I wish I could do something…" Usagi looked up at the two Senshi, her eyes streaming with tears. Suddenly, Ami's body gave a last heave, before she stopped breathing all together. Slowly, her companion looked down at her face, her eyes going wide.

"A-A…Ami….?" Usagi asked, gently shaking her friend, "Ami?!" She asked again, in a more desperate voice, shaking her more without a response. "AMI!!" She screamed, closing her eyes and burying her face against Ami's shoulder, letting out a loud sob before bawling. The sound of soft shoes walking across the ground could be heard, as Sailorcapricorn walked towards Usagi and Ami.

"Do not let your heart grieve," She said calmly, leaning down and softly petting Usagi's head, "I may have enough power to save her…but how much can be healed I cannot say. It will be difficult drawing energy from the Earth in a building of concrete and steel, though I will try." Usagi didn't even bother to look up, just absolutely wailing. She barely heard Capricorn's words. Holding her hands to the side, Capricorn slowly began to raise them.

"Forest of Life!" She said, raising her hands over her head. Seeping through the slabs of marble and concrete came beams of green light, awashing the area in a beautiful, enchanting light. Usagi looked up from Ami's shoulder, noticing the skin and muscles which had been burned away on her chest were…healing?! Ami inhaled sharply and coughed a bit, before breathing more normally. The light slowly faded.

"Ami!" Usagi gasped, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend, hugging her tightly, "I'm so glad you're alive!! Thank God!" Ami blinked slowly, "Wha…what happened…?"

"Oh, Ami-chan…!" Usagi started, hugging her tighter, "You--you…you scared me so badly! You…you stopped breathing and got cold…and Capricorn--" She turned around to thank the savor of her friend, only to find that all three Zodiac had vanished, "--She…she healed you…"

"I…I see…" Ami said, "Usagi-chan…lets go home…" The other girl nodded and helped her to her feet.

"How DARE you show up here after that hideous defeat!!" The red-eyed woman screamed to the cloaked woman- Evil- who's cloak had all but been destroyed by that attack which the Zodiac unleashed. It was now apparent that she was a Sailorsenshi of some sort. A dark magenta Sailor collar adorned her shoulders, along with a black choker with a strange magenta symbol resting on it. Her bodices was seamless, sleeveless and black, with a ribbon coming up over her hips like an Eternal waist-band, being dark magenta in color. Another ribbon was strung across her hips, more lose then the other, of silver color. The space between the two ribbons was bare, covered with mesh, exposing her skin, a black star on the center of the ribbons. Two layers of silky, unpleated skirts came down from the silver ribbon, the top being dark magenta and the bottom being silver, while a third skirt came down. It was more like a normal skirt, black in color and silted down her left side. On her arms she wore long, dark magenta gloves, ending just before her wrists. Silver bracelets- looking identical to the ones the Shadow Galactica wore- adorned her wrists, her gloves beginning again at the end of the bracelets, the ends held together by mesh. Her boots were long and dark-magenta, stopping just past her knees, with black over-boots. These 'over-boots' started a few inches below the top of her normal boots, laced down and more open down the center of her calves, coming together again at her ankle. More curious, she has three crescent moons piled up on one another- the Dead Moon symbol- three being magenta and one silver. She also had a black inverted crescent moon on her forehead. She was bleeding from many spots and her fuku was torn quite badly.

"Forgive me, Ma'am," She panted, looking up towards the raging red-eyed woman, "I forgot that the power of the Zodiac Senshi comes from each other. They caught me off guard. I will not allow it to happen again." The red-eyed woman growled and smashed a test-tube in her palm, the glass cutting into her flesh and causing her hand to bleed, the blood dripping out from her fist onto the floor.

"It has better not!" She yelled, gritting her teeth, "Or else I will use YOUR _Hoste _to give to the _Shadow!_" Turning back around the red-eyed woman stared at the flickering monitor before her. Once again the Evil Senshi's eyes flashed a bright color of blue, lowering her head down.

"Of course. I understand." She said, trying to keep the bitterness in her voice down. The red-eyed woman whipped her bleeding hand against her already bloodstained lab coat.

"I am changing your mission," She hissed, "You are now to track down and destroy the Zodiac Senshi, especially the ones who have not been awakened. Their souls will go to the Master. I will assign the _Shadow _the job of killing the other Senshi." Gripping against her weapon, the Evil Senshi gritted her teeth and attempted not to growl with displeasure.

"Of course."

With that, she stood up and walked away from the room that the red-eyed woman was in. She grumbled to herself as she walked dark, barely illuminated corridors of the place she was in. Her footsteps echoed off of the black stone walls, occasionally the sound of splashing could be heard as she steeped in one of the many pools of crimson blood.

_"Do you hate her?"_ A voice said within the Evil Senshi's mind.

"Yes." She responded, "Takulira gets all of the credit around here! I'm never allowed to do _anything…_That bitch gets do to everything! I must have my revenge against Serenity…! And yet, SHE keeps re-assigning me to do stupid tasks!"

_"Do not become TOO angry," _The voice said, _"You will have your time. Your chance to kill Serenity, your chance to kill Takulira, your chance to kill her. Paticents my dear, patients. Everything will fall into play soon enough."_

"Of course," The Evil Senshi Smirked, her pace quickening, "Thank you, Yami. Once again you have driven me on the right path…"

_"That is why I am here. That is why I am here…"_

Mamoru sat in his apartment, sitting down on his bed and reading a good book. Although much was on his mind, it was nice to divert those thoughts into some well-written fiction. It would help pass the time, especially considering the fact that Usagi and Ami had not tried to contact them before the time they said they would. Already it was well past six PM, and Mamoru was becoming worried.

_ Usako… _ he thought, his attention once again diverting from his book, _ What is taking you so long? I can understand you forgetting, but not Ami… _ Sighing, Mamoru attempted to shake the thoughts from his mind, his eyes going down to his book. The words suddenly all jumbled together, his thoughts overruling what his eyes read. Ugh. This wasn't going to work; he would try to contact them instead. He was getting too anxious now. Sighing, Mamoru put the book down on his bed, pushing off of it and running his hand through his black hair. He hoped that nothing serious had happened. Exiting his bedroom, Mamoru walked towards a table in which he kept his communicator for whenever something went array.

Suddenly, he froze in his spot. Something ominous was radiating off of the glass windows to his apartment- towards the balcony. Turning around, he gasped when he noticed a figure standing there. Black mist poured in from the figure, curling around his ankles and obscuring the balcony from view. The figure was surrounded by a black shadow, completely obscuring even a noticeable silhouette from view. All that could be seen was a pair of black wings of some sort, and a deadly looking pole-arm within their arms. Imminently, he fell into a defensive position.

"Who are you?" He demanded, glaring at the figure, "How did you get in here?!" Such a dark aura! It was so strong, almost unlike anything he had ever felt before! If worse came too worse, he would change into Tuxedo Kamen.

"Your soul…" The figure said in a deep voice which echoed across the room, "…Will not reach Nirvana."


	4. Darkness Grows Closer!

__

Thoughts 

Time break/scene change

Authors Notes

****

Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon: Eternal Darkness Episode 4- _Darkness Grows Closer! Usagi's Grieving Heart._

"Really, Usagi, I am fine now" Ami said tiredly to her shorter friend, being helped along the sidewalk by her. The two had just gone through a rather traumatic experience at Shin Mugen Gauken. First off, three of their newest friends- students who's origins were not Japanese- were members of the Zodiac Senshi. Enala was Sailorcancer, Lizzie was Sailorlibra and finally, Loren was Sailorcapricorn. A group of mysterious Senshi whose allegiance and mission lay elsewhere outside of what the Sol Senshi were aware of. Although they claimed to be of this system, their fukus were outrageous compared to theirs, and would not reveal anything about themselves, save the fact of who they were.

During a battle against a strange and mysterious woman from the Deathbusters, Ami had suffered a mortal blow and even died for a few moments. She no longer drew breath, and her heart no longer beat. It was by the strange and ethereal powers of Sailorcapricorn that somehow revived the girl genius, and before the two could thank the Zodiac, they had vanished. It seemed as if they did not want to be known, or did not want to be allies with the Sol Senshi. But that didn't matter. They had helped and saved them, Ami being alive and well save for being rather tired.

"But Ami-chan!" Usagi whined, breaking the blue-haired girls train of thought, "You DIED there! If Capricorn hadn't saved you…I don't know what I would have done!" Ami chuckled softly at Usagi, shaking her head.

"I am fine now, Usagi-chan. I really cannot think of how to repay Sailorcapricorn- Loren-san- for her kindness and bravery, but…it still perplexes me about their reason for being." Ami sighed and continued walking, Usagi helping her along, "They left without saying a word, making it seem like they do not wish to be our allies…"

"Ami-chan!" Usagi retorted, "But…they're Sailorsenshi just like us! They helped us, and saved you! They can't be all bad…Like the Starlights."

"They could very well be deceiving us," Ami responded, "They could not be real Sailorsenshi, like the Animamates. They do not act as if they wish to opening work with us, opting to work together and separate. That could very well mean that they must be considered enemies." Usagi sniffed loudly at that comment. Their enemies? But Enala, Lizzie and Loren were so nice and kind! Would they really want to fight them? Then again…Haruka and Michiru were nice, but as Uranus and Neptune, they were quite distant and cruel for most of the campaign against the Deathbusters.

"I refuse to believe that!" She whined, "They're so nice and sweet…why would they want to fight us?"  
"They may not have a choice," Ami said, taking a deep breath and stopping for a moment. Considering the fact that she had just been revived from death, being fully healed, she still was tired from the ordeal, "They could be kind, as you told us of the stories of Sailorlethe and Mnemosyne, but they must fight us according to what their master tells them to do. All that we know about them is that they know that you are Princess Serenity, and that they are not in league with the Revived Deathbusters. We cannot trust what we do not know."

This was true, and Usagi knew it. Ami was almost always right about these things, and there was so little they knew about the Zodiac. They did not seem to want to work WITH them, as she said. Both times the encountered the Zodiac- tree for Ami and Makoto- they preferred to work each other. They also didn't want to stick around to say anything more to them or inform them what they were planning. But…Cancer did tell them that they could be trusted…and Enala and Lizzie were their _friends._

After resting for a moment, Ami regained her breath and continued walking forward. "Usagi-chan, you don't need to escort me home. I think I can manage…the bus stop is just ahead as well." Shaking her head, the Ondago girl grinned up at her friend.

"But I want to make sure you don't get tired or anything!" She grinned, turning her head up to the darkening sky. The sun, by now, was leaving just a few fleeting traces of purple in the midnight blue sky. The stars were beginning to shine across the bowl which covered them, but were difficult to see in the bright Tokyo lights. Clouds were beginning to form and swirl around Toyko…strangely, they seemed to be in the district which Mamoru lived in, although at this time Usagi did not notice this at first.

Walking over to the bus stop, the two girls waited for the next bus to arrive to take them near Ami's apartment complex. It wouldn't be long, since the buses worked in a schedule. Judging the time, Ami assumed that the next one would arrive only five minutes, if even that. All seemed to be well…

Suddenly, it felt like her heart stopped. Usagi gasped loudly and her eyes widened to mere dots, hunching over and grasping at her chest. A loud gasp escaped from her as she tried to gain her breath once again, but found it difficult. It was if her entire soul was crying out in pain! Like someone had grasped her heart and ripped it from her chest! This feeling…it was the same feeling when Sailorgalaxia killed-

"Usagi-chan!" Ami gasped, looking down at her friend who was nearly hyperventilating, "What's the matter! Do we need to go to the hospital?"

"I- ah…" Usagi said breathlessly, slowly swallowing and looking towards the direction of Mamoru's apartment. A dark aura lingered over that district. "I…I think…so-something has h-happened to Ma-mamo-chan…" She wheezed, sudden fear and worry overcoming every one of her senses. What could have happened?

"Something happened to Mamoru-san?" Ami said quietly, biting down on her lip, "Go on ahead, Usagi! I'll contact the others to go to his apartment! I'll only slow you down…" With that, Usagi nodded her head, quickly dashing across the street and running as fast as her legs could carry her to the Azabu-ku District.

Usagi stood in front of Mamoru's apartment door, her heart beating heavily in her chest. It did not appear as if something bad had happened from the outside, as the door was not ajar nor unlocked. Gulping, she reached her hand out and knocked on the surface of his door, biting down on her lower lip. _ I hope I'm just overreacting… Please, God, let him be alright… _ After a few seconds, no sound came. Not wanting to hesitate incase he needed help, Usagi reached into her pocket and removed her keys, pulling out the one which Mamoru had given her so she could visit any time.

Reaching a shaky hand out, Usagi slowly slid the key into the lock, twisting it and hearing it click open. Removing the key, she turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door. Her heart beat heavily in her throat, giving her an unpleasant feeling. Slowly, she stepped inside of the apartment, slipping her shoes off and putting on a pair of slippers waiting by the door.

"Mamo-chan…?" She asked nervously, her entire body shaking heavily, her voice wavering, "Mamo-chan? Are you here…?"

Silence.

Gulping loudly, Usagi tried to calm herself, but found it difficult to do so. She could hear nothing, save for a gentle breeze, indicating that his balcony doors were open. Taking a tense steep into the apartment, Usagi nervously looked around for any signs of a disturbance in the main room. There didn't appear to be any.

"Mamoru?" She asked again, just to be sure that he wasn't sleeping. Once again, silence followed. That made her stomach churn even more then it was, taking another steep into the apartment, followed by another. Taking three more steeps, Usagi stopped again and inspected the room once again. Everything seemed to be fine. If anything had happened, it would be in his bedroom. Taking another shaky steep, Usagi turned herself so that she faced the slightly closed door to his bedroom. There was an odd scent in the air…a scent that was almost familiar. What was it? It was something that she knew. Something that indicated that something was wrong, very wrong.

The smell of blood.

"Oh, God…!" Usagi gasped when she realized what she smelled, suddenly finding strength and bursting forward towards the door to Mamoru's bedroom. Holding her palms out, she shoved it opened and stopped as soon as she entered the room.

Usagi wished she hadn't entered now.

She did not at first notice all of the damage done. Across the room, where Mamoru's TV rested, was smashed in as if someone had been thrown against it. Blood spanned across the branches of broken glass, running down its surface, still dripping slowly against the floor. More red fluid was slid across the TV as if whoever was attacked moved aside, knocking down books and breaking the glass of a bookshelf. There were several other patches of blood, indicating slashing or stabbing. Part of one of Mamoru's desks had a deep gash cut across it, like an extremely sharp weapon had literally cut through it like butter, going all the way down from the ground. Blood looked like it sprayed away, like the weapon had sliced through flesh. More splatters and streaks of blood lined the floors and some of the walls, all in which did not even register within Usagi's mind. All that she saw was a torn bed, drenched in fresh blood. Someone had been stabbed through the heart or some place of that nature, then rolled off of the bed, resting against it's feet.

And it was Mamoru.

Everything just stopped inside of Usagi. Her heart, her breath, her mind. All that she was thinking and fearing fluttered away as she looked at the pale corpse of Mamoru. Blood still flowed from his body, continuing to add to the crimson pool under his body. A massive hole was in his chest, going all the way through and looking grotesque and torn. Cuts along one of his arms, another on his abdomen and some on his back continued to bleed, though his skin was as white if he had been dead for hours. All of this was recent.

Without even feeling any sort of reaction, Usagi slowly slumped down to the ground, her bare knees falling into a pool of Mamoru's blood. Only then did everything register. Mamoru was dead. Brutally murdered by someone with impossible strength, and so quickly. They had left without a trace. Looking down towards the corpse of her one true love with her hazy blue eyes, Usagi finally let out a quiet sob. Dead. He was dead.

Putting her face to her hands, the tears that she was expecting to come right away finally did. The salty liquid ran down her face like waterfalls, her lungs inhaling sharply before sobbing loudly. Dead. Dead. Gone, forgotten. Killed. Unlike before, it wasn't apparent that he would be coming back. The future…there is no future without him. And so, the young girl hunched over and cried against the cold, bloody corpse of her lover.

The first to arrive at Mamoru's apartment were Haruka and Michiru. Even by just steeping into the main hall, they could sense the air of sadness and the taste of death in the air. Usagi's sobbing was heard in the background. Without even bothering to close the door nor take off their shoes, the two Outer Senshi rushed towards the bedroom, looking into the horrors which lay within.

"Oh my god…" Michiru whispered breathlessly, her eyes wide with the carnage and the dead Mamoru. Haruka remained silent as she observed. Quickly, both of their eyes fell to the frail form of Usagi, stained in Mamoru's blood, crying over his body. Instantly, she rushed over to the sobbing girl, placing her hands gently on Usagi's shoulders.

"Ondago…" She said quietly, drawing the smaller girl up and embracing her, but said nothing more. Haruka was not one for words of kindness, but just held Usagi gently, stroking the back of her head. Usagi did not seem to care who she was crying against, finding the embrace of the Senshi of Wind comforting, shedding her tears against her blouse. Michiru, meanwhile, pulled out her communicator.

"Everyone," She informed with a shaky voice, "Something terrible has happened…hurry as fast as you can to Mamoru-san's apartment!" Without waiting for a response, Michiru spun around and dashed out into the living room of the apartment, walking to the phone and quickly punching in the emergency number. "Hello, Operator? I would like to inform you of a homicide…"

Rei lay on top of her futon, having gone to bed early with a raging migraine. Normally she was not one susceptible to headaches, but for some reason this didn't seem normal. While working on her usual chores around the Shrine, suddenly a searing pain came into her temples, throbbing through her skull. The sudden and intense pain has caused Rei to double over, her body trembling from what she felt in her head. In that instant she closed her eyes, she saw a pair of haunting, empty eyes staring at her. Like someone - or something - was trying to talk to her. As soon as she opened her eyes, the vision disappeared, but the pain did not. Thusly, Rei had taken some pain medicine and went to her futon, sleeping with a washcloth over her eyes and forehead. It had been difficult to sleep with such pain, but eventually sleep found her.

However, sleep did not rid Rei of any internal pain. While her dreams numbed the pain in her forehead, darkness clouded her mind. It was like she was awake, looking out and seeing nothing but blackness. She could not move and she could not speak. It was if she had no mouth to speak, no ears to hear, no eyes in which to see. Almost as if she was trapped somewhere, swallowed by nothingness. Despite that, she tried not to be afraid. Giving into fear would only aggravate whatever it was that she was seeing or dreaming. Every time she tried to move, she could feel nothing. No arms or legs. Nothing. Even though it gave her a very dark and empty feeling inside, Rei knew it was a dream. It wasn't real. Someone or something was trying to mess with her psyche.

Finally, the silence was broken.

"_…Hear…me…_" A strange female voice echoed out through the blackness. It seemed to be two voices speaking at once- one of a soft, quiet female voice; the other, a deep and ominous voice. Because she could not move or see, Rei did not bother to look for the origin of the voice.

"Who…are you?" Rei asked, surprised that words escaped from her lips.

"_…I am…the Shadow…_" The voice responded.

"The Shadow?" Rei repeated, "What does that mean? Why…why am I here? What do you want from me?" The voice did not speak again, and seemed to leave her alone in the darkness. "…" Nothing but silence. Hoping to awaken, or hear the voice again, Rei remained silent, still. Nothing else happened for quite some time.

Suddenly, the blackness melted away as several intense, short images flashed in Rei's mind. Images of a nude girl against a wall, blood running down her pale flesh. Someone screaming from pain searing through her body. Rei gasped even though she had no body, feeling hotness burning against her flesh. Slashes across her back. Immense pain like she had not felt before! Like someone was slashing a knife into her skin and pulling out the muscles and tendons! So much pain, coursing through her entire body. Rei cried out in pain and her eyes snapped open, sitting upright in her room. The pain in her head was gone, but the pain in her body had not left.

Crying out again, she slowly lifted her arm, her white sleeve soaked with blood. Her blood! Quickly pulling it down, she noticed so many cuts were along her arms that were not there before. Her wrists looked like they had been rubbed raw. It was not just her arm. Her entire body was covered with cuts, abrasions, and pieces of her skin being removed. What in the Seven Hells had happened?

Screaming out in pain once again, Rei huddled over and sobbed silently to herself, her entire body aching and screaming in pain. Hastily, her Grandfather threw her bedroom door open, rushing in.

"Rei!" He gasped, staring down at her blood-stained clothing and bed, "What happened!" Unable to speak, Rei continued to sob as her Grandfather rushed to the phone to call for help.

By the time the police and coroners arrived, Usagi's tears had stopped, her eyes becoming dry and puffy from all of the crying. Haruka stood there with her arm around the blonde's shoulders, having said nothing the entire time. Only holding Usagi and treating her almost like a younger sister. Usagi stood there, her body trembling, the color having left most of her skin by the nightmare she had seen inside. Her eyes remained blank and unfocused. Empty. She felt so empty inside. Without Mamoru, she was nothing. Nothing but an empty shell without love. Sure, she had her friends, but it wasn't the same. She wanted- no, she NEEDED - Mamoru to be there. He was her hope, her love…her future. Now he was gone, and so was she.

Setsuna and Minako had arrived shortly after the Police did, helping Michiru answer questions about Mamoru. Usagi could not speak, she didn't even hear what was being said. Haruka did not either, unable to find words in which to say. Nothing meaningful came to her mind. Minako occasionally hugged Usagi, saying how sorry she was.

The three other Senshi told the police what they knew, and what could have happened. Of course, they could think of no enemies in which would want to kill him. They couldn't very well tell them who he really was and who he would be, let alone the Deathbusters. But they did not know the existence of the Golden Crystal…to them, he held no power nor was any sort of target to them. He was never attacked. The police, after investigating the scene, concluded that it wasn't a robber nor a random killing, but the coroners would have to complete their analysis to be sure. Mamoru also did not have anything of value in which to be taken, and nothing was missing from the apartment.

For the past while, the police had left the group alone. The five girls remained silent and unmoving, though each of their minds raced. All but Usagi. She felt so alone and empty, like she was being engulfed by Darkness. She felt so lost and terribly alone, even though her friends surrounded her. People who cared and loved her very much, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't what she needed, what she wanted. Usagi wanted Mamoru back. But he probably wouldn't…not like before. This was different. She did not know where his Sailorcrystal was, but…he…he was dead. Gone. Just like before…just like in the Silver Millennium. Dead, never to return. Now she wanted to die, too.

The awkward silence which endured through the girls was broken when a police officer walked out of the bedroom and towards them. "The coroners deducted that it's another 'Angel of Death' case. It's the only explanation."

"The Angel of Death?" Michiru asked, quirking an eyebrow. It certainly didn't sound like anything she had heard. Then again, she was more concerned with the Zodiac Senshi and the Return of the Deathbusters to worry about the news.

"Yeah…you haven't heard?" The officer asked, three of the girls shaking their heads, "It's plastered all over the news. A serial killer in Tokyo, basically. No one knows their identify, and they seem to pick their victims at random, but never anyone else but the victim. No one has been able to identify them, as all witnesses only saw a vague silhouette. A being with black angel wings and some sort of pole-arm used as a weapon. We're all puzzled with the killings, since we can't find any connection to any of the victims. They all share the same signs. A hole in their chest, their heart removed. Their bodies are also dead white, even while blood is still escaping from their chests…just like Mister Chiba here. Looks like he put up quite a fight as well, normally the victims are just lying there dead…he must've fought that person to the end." The officer scratched his head slightly, "Normally there isn't any physical evidence of the Angel of Death even being here, but it seemed like Mister Chiba nailed them somewhere…there's an unidentifiable blood sample that does not appear to be on record. We cannot be sure as to what it is, so we have to assume that it is some sort of animal blood…But, we can't say for sure until we've run tests in a lab." Usagi flinched slightly and closed her eyes, tears once again forming at the corners

of her eyes and running down her face. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. I understand you're his fiancée. Terrible thing done here…my regards and prayers to you." Usagi slowly lifted her hands up and put them to her face, her chest heaving as she let out a muffled sob. Haruka, in turn, draw Usagi into another loving embrace, stroking the back of her head gently.

"…Ondago," She muttered, the first thing said since she arrived, "…I'm sorry." That was all that needed to be said. To think that something so simple could sum up all of the emotions felt inside. That caused Usagi to sob louder. She knew that Haruka was perhaps one of her closest companions, regardless of not seeing her that often, and that she was no good with words. But those two words were enough.

Before another word could be uttered, the door to Mamoru's apartment burst open, Ami flopping down against the entrance and panting heavily. Minako gasped and rushed towards the blue-haired girl, helping her to her feet.

"Ami-chan, what's wrong?" She asked, trying to lift the tension. Of course, Ami could also be there about Mamoru…but something else seemed to be on her mind. After huffing for a few moments, Ami finally regained her breath.

"I just…received a phone call…" She whispered breathlessly, "Rei is in the hospital…!"

Shortly after hearing the news that Rei had been admitted into the hospital, it was decided that Setsuna, Ami and Minako should go visit her, while Usagi, Michiru and Haruka remained behind in Mamoru's apartment. Having arrived to the room Rei was housed in, they noticed that she was having a blood transfusion and had multiple bandages and wrappings going down her arms, legs and torso. Ami, despite how tired she felt from her own near-death experience, rushed towards her friend and took her hand, Minako following suit and looking down at Rei.

"Rei-chan!" She gasped, "What on Earth happened to you?" Rei turned her head weakly towards Ami, closing her eyes. Setsuna narrowed her eyes, standing at the foot of the Priestess' bed.

"I'm not entirely sure," Rei responded, closing her violet eyes and sighing, "I was fine for a while, going about the usual chores for the Shrine, when suddenly I got this piercing headache. More like a migraine, to put it lightly. It's strange…I've never really had one before, and it just came on so suddenly. It was like someone was inside of my head…I saw a pair of empty, black eyes staring at me in my mind. I went to bed, but I was sent into an empty, dark space. I couldn't move or see anything, it was so cold and lonely…" Rei opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, "Then the person who's eyes I saw spoke to me…they wanted me to hear them. They called themselves the 'Shadow,' or something. Suddenly…there were flashes of pain and anguish before my eyes. A woman screaming, screaming as I did. I felt pain coursing throughout my body. I could not see any outline of the person getting tortured, but what I saw happened to me as well…When I woke up from that _nightmare_, I was bleeding from the same spots which I saw hacked up in the flesh of that poor woman…"

"Whomever it was," Setsuna mused aloud, "They had enough mental power to break through your defensives, and bring the pain of a dream to reality. They- the Shadow- are something which we must be afraid of." Rei slowly nodded.

"I don't know why they did that…" She said tiredly, "But…somehow I have a feeling that it's a cry for help. She said…hear me before the dream…Still, the pain is very real." Minako sighed unhappily, scratching her head.

"This day just keeps getting better and better," She said quietly, "There is something else that you need to know, Rei-chan. Our enemy…is someone very strong. The police believe that they're a Serial Killer refereed to as the 'Angel of Death.' I have a feeling that it is somehow connected to the Deathbusters, since the victims turn white when it attacks, like their souls have been drained…" Rei lifted her head up and looked at Minako with a quizzing look.

"…What has happened…?"

"Mamoru," Setsuna informed in a stoic tone, "Is one of their victims. He is dead."

"Hahaha…" The voice of the red-eyed women echoed across her laboratory, holding a glittering shard in her hand. The distinct shape of the Golden Crystal which Mamoru possessed inside of his soul. His Sailorcrystal. His power. She stroked it lovingly as if it was a lover, chuckling softly to herself, "Who would have thought, that someone so weak, someone we casually looked over, possesses a light so similar to the Ginzuishou! It may not be as strong as that sacred white jewel is…but it is more then enough! I can hold it in my palms without being scalded! HAHAHAHA!" Clenching her fist around it, she turned towards two figures kneeling before her- the 'Angel of Death' whom had attacked Mamoru, cloaked in shadows, and the Evil Senshi- grinning madly, "Yes, yes! This is just what we need to revive the Master! It is more then enough to do so…his soul is so beautiful, so shining! Wondrous…! And then he can use the power of this Crystal to battle Sailormoon…hahaha!" Clenching her fist around the Golden Crystal, the red-eyed woman smirked, "You have done an excellent job, _Takulira._ Only you could have sensed that _power_ within the Earth-Princes Soul! And you got it so quickly…tonight you will rest _easily_."  
The shadowed form of the Angel of Death bowed her head down, "Thank you, Mistress," It said in a deep, ominous and echoing voice. Standing up, the figure turned on their heal and walked out of the room, the sound of bare feet echoing across the hall. Clenching her fists, the Evil Senshi gritted her teeth, attempting to control her rage.

"Evil, I am disappointed in you," The red-eyed woman informed, turning back around to look at a large tube before her. The tube contained the figure of a tall, muscular male floating in green substance, long, spiky silver hair floating around beside him. Black tribal tattoos ran down his face and neck, with more along the tops and bottoms of his hands. "I'm sure the Master will be as well! You know he does not tolerate failure well…and who was the one who got this powerful soul for him?" The Evil Senshi winced.

"Takulira," She growled, her fists clenching more against the black floor.

"Correct," The red-eyed woman smirked, holding her hands out with the glowing crystal in her palms. "Get out of my sight before I have to _throw _you out! You are to find and KILL those blasted Zodiac before more of them appear, do you understand!"

"…Of course," The Evil Senshi responded, her glare deepening towards the woman who commanded her. Pushing off of the ground, she turned on her heal and exited the room. Giggling, the red-eyed woman lifted her hands higher.

"Master Pharaoh 90!" She yelled, "The time for your revival is nigh! I have fed your new host body with powerful souls to resurrect you from the core of this planet! Here- your once-partner has retrieved this powerful soul for you to feast on! Devourer it, My Lord, and return to us once again! AHAHAHAHAHA!" Releasing a burst of golden light- Mamoru's Soul- the red-eyed woman watched as the glittering light swirled around the tank and entered in, being absorbed by the male figure. Bubbles began to flood the tank, a soft rumbling sound could be heard in the distance. Suddenly, the ground of the lab began to shape and rumble, the twisted smirk on the red-eyed woman's face curling up her lips even further. A small crack formed across one of the sides of the tube that the man was encased in. The crack branched out, growing and spreading rapidly until the entire tank was riddled with cracks. As suddenly as the man's golden eyes snapped open, the glass shot out from the tank in every direction, the fluid draining out along the floor. The man landed on his feet, his hair falling down to his knees.

"Heh heh…" The red-eyed woman chuckled, "Welcome back, my dear Master Pharaoh 90!"

By nearly midnight, Usagi was finally walking home, with the aid of Michiru and Haruka. They had spent all of the night in Mamoru's apartment, filing reports and other-information regarding him and his death. Finally his mangled body was taken away in a body bag, ready to be registered in the morgue. It was a horrible, sad day. It was not like before with Galaxia. No one knew that he had died until the Starlights resurfaced the buried memory in Usagi's mind. She had seen him clearly this time, lying in a fresh pool of his blood. Dead. She had been reassured by Princess Kakyuu that if they found his Sailorcrystal, he would return to life. But now this was different. No reassuring word. No help, no way of knowing that there was a way to bring him back. This wasn't like anything they had encountered before. The Deathbusters were serious now. They had killed Mamoru without a problem, taken is Sailorcrystal, and most likely, his Golden Crystal as well. That made Usagi feel even more awful. But right now, she felt so empty. So cold. So alone. Even though Haruka and Michiru were right beside her, Usagi had never felt this aching pain of sorrow and loneliness filling her consciousness. Her mind was blank- nothing inside of it except for that image of Mamoru's corpse resting within red fluid flowing from his body.

Why? Why had this happened? This couldn't be right. No…it was _impossible_ to be right! What about the Future? The future with Mamoru…with him. This had to be a lie…a terrible nightmare that she had to wake up from. Usagi stopped walking and squeezed her blue eyes closed, lifting her hands up to her head. "No…" She said quietly, shaking her head, "Oh, no…this can't be real…It has to be a dream! It just has to be…!" Doubling over, the blonde screamed loudly and tried to wake herself up from this nightmare. Gasping, Haruka placed her hands on Usagi's shoulders and forcefully turned her around. Instead of embracing her or saying a few words, the Senshi of Wind slapped the screaming child across her face. That dutifully shut Usagi up. "Ha….Haruka….?" Usagi asked in a meek voice, looking up at the taller woman with tear-filled eyes.

"Your not the only one who is in pain, Ondago!" Haruka yelled, "But this is _real_. It's as real as it gets! As much as I hate the fact that our Prince is dead, I have to accept it! The only way we can get through this is to pull ourselves together and find this so-called Angel of Death! It has to be working for the Deathbusters, and if we can find them, we can revive Mamoru. But we can't do a _damned thing_ if you refuse to accept this and help us defeat them!" As Haruka spoke the harsh, cruel words, Usagi stared up at her with tear-filled eyes. Slowly, the shorter girl's hands began to clench, soon turning to the point of gaining white knuckles. Usagi's arms began to shake with rage and sorrow, her head lowering down and becoming shadowed. Once Haruka finished, a small voice escaped from the blonde's throat.

"Y..you don't know…what…kind of pain…I am going through…" Usagi muttered, her body visibly shaking under the night sky, "How can you possibly know when the person you treasure the most is standing right before you!" Usagi lifted her head and glared up at Haruka with tear-filled eyes, "Mamoru was EVERYTHING to me! My past, my present and my FUTRUE! Our Future! Without him, there isn't anything worth looking forward to! There will be no Chibi-usa, no Crystal Tokyo! Nothing will be worth waiting and hoping for! There is nothing for me now! Even with friends surrounding me…it can't replace him! It can't replace the feelings I've had for him for so very long! Nothing else in the world MATTERED more to me then him! And now he is _dead! _There isn't a way to bring him back this time…there will never be a way to bring him back! Not as long as we know that there isn't a future a head of us now! So don't talk to me about moving on and accepting it, because I wont! Now…Now I have nothing to live or to die for! No love! You don't understand how I feel, and you never will…! Not as long as the one you love the most is right beside you…!" With that, Usagi turned abruptly on her heel and ran off away from the two older girls. Tears flooded her eyes and caused everything to be nothing but a murky blur, but she didn't care. Just as long as she got far away, far far away. Someplace dark and quiet, where she could cry until her tears would no longer come.

Standing silent, Haruka raised a hand as Usagi began to run off, but figured it was futile to attempt to chase after her. Even with an enemy on the loose, that girl probably wouldn't accept any help, especially from her. Sighing, Haruka lowered her hand and stared at her feet.

"I shouldn't have said those things," She grumbled angrily to herself. Michiru, whom had remained silent, walked up behind her partner and gently placed her hand upon Haruka's shoulder.

"It can't be undone. But, you really need to learn how to control yourself better, dear." Haruka could only nod to that statement, "Lets go home…hopefully Usagi-chan will find her way back home and be with her family…I would hate it if the enemy got a hold of her now…"

After running as far as her legs could take her, Usagi found herself alone in the park near her house. Most of the people had gone by this time of night, the girl finding some sort of strange comfort being here alone within the darkness. Such darkness that she felt within her heart. Everything was clouded over with blackness, channeling out all but one thought- there was no future. Not anymore, now that Mamoru was dead. Finding a tree, Usagi slumped downwards and curled her legs up to her chest, burring her face within them. Blood still stained her skin, giving off a strangely warm sent to her. Even though it was not his sent, it still made her think that he was alive with her now, embracing her. It wasn't so. She was cold and alone, more now then ever. Hot tears continued to flow from her eyes, rolling down against her skin as she gave a heavy sob, followed by more weeping.

What seemed like an eternity passed. Eventually Usagi's throat dried up and refused to let her sob any further, though the tears continued to roll down her cheeks and staining her skirt. All of this started like a normal day…she had made a few new friends, discovered some apparent allies. Even Ami was resurrected by Sailorcapricorn. But all of it fell asunder once she saw the pale corpse of her lover. Her future. Her hope. Everything was gone now, and she felt so cold and alone. No one else was in the park to comfort her. None of her friends were near. Not even her enemy could be sensed. Nothing at all…nothing but the wind and the stars. Slowly, Usagi looked up to the starry sky, staring up at the moon that lingered overhead. She had always fought for love and justice. Love…now that seemed like an impossibility. Endymion was dead once more, and she had seen his corpse for a second time in her memory. But there were no swords in which to kill herself with, nor and hope of Rebirth from her mother and the Ginzuishou. The Ginzuishou…would it be worth restoring Mamoru, but at the cost of her life. No, then he would want to die too. Slowly, Usagi lowered her head back down to her knees.

Unaware of her surroundings, Usagi did not even hear when someone walked up to her. Although she made no more sound, everything was drowned out. Nothing but the beating of her heart and the sound of Mamoru's voice rang in her ears.

"…Why are you crying?" A soft voice asked. Usagi slowly looked up from her spot to notice a pale-skinned girl standing before her. The girl whom had transferred into Haruka and Michiru's class…Ashi Hotaru. Though her form was distorted by the tears within her blue eyes, it was easily apparent that this person was not normal…her oddly pale skin was proof enough. But that did not matter to her.

"…S-someone…very important…to me…died…" Usagi responded in a horse to the stranger, lowering her head back down against her knees.

"…Why are you sad about that?" The pale girl asked, "…Doesn't it mean that you'll be alone? It's much better to be alone and uncared for then to suffer like you are…" Usagi once again looked up to Ashi with her flooded eyes.

"…How can you say something like that…?" She asked in a shaken voice, "It's never better to be alone…to love someone and to be loved back…it's the greatest feeling in the world…" Ashi continued to stare down at Usagi with empty, murky violet eyes. For a while both of them remained silent. After a short while, Ashi responded,

"But then you'd be in pain when they're gone," She stated in a monotone, "It's better to be alone then to have to live with that kind of pain. Then you won't have anguish, or sorrow…"

"…You're wrong…" Usagi whispered, burring her head back into her knees, feeling fresh tears coming, "Everything in this world…none of it ever makes sense until you've loved someone with all of your heart. Everything suddenly becomes clear and you feel such strength and courage flowing through you when you feel that way. Like nothing else matters in the world but them. It's…the most wonderful feeling in the world…yes, it is painful when you loose someone, but the benefits greatly outweigh the pain." Was that even true? Right now, Usagi had never felt such overwhelming pain and sorrow consuming her. Only once in her memory did she ever recall feeling such pain…the day Endymion died protecting her from Beryl. Even when she stabbed his sword through her heart, that did not rival what she felt inside. No pain could compare to how her heart ached within her chest, as if someone was squeezing it within a vice. Like it was ripped out and stomped upon while she could only watch. Perhaps this strange girl was right…it was better to be alone then to suffer when a loved one left.

"…You shouldn't lie," Ashi said quietly, staring down at Usagi with an empty expression upon her face, "You're probably thinking that I'm right…that it's better to be alone then to suffer like this…isn't that right…?" Usagi did not respond. Once again, silence filled the area. Although not looking at the girl, Usagi heard her walking away slowly.

Yes…it was better to be alone…


	5. Usagi Vulnerable!

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thoughts  
Time break/scene change

Authors Notes

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon: Eternal Darkness Episode 5 - _Usagi Vulnerable! The Kindness of the Senshi of the Wood._**

Empty. Hollow. Void of all emotions. That was what Usagi felt like since Mamoru was killed by the alleged 'Angel of Death.' Nothing mattered to her right now, not even her friends, not even her family. She didn't attend school, she felt no need to now. Although Ikuko had insisted that her daughter should try to return to the normal life that she had lead, Usagi just didn't want to. Her stomach constantly felt twisted in knots, and she barely slept. Nothing else mattered, except that Mamoru was dead, and this time there wasn't any coming back.  
Today was different. Today Usagi would actually leave the house, for the reason that Mamoru's funeral was today. On this day, he would be dead for good. They had come past the point of no return. No turning back, no looking back. All of it was over. This new enemy was too powerful, and grew too quickly. Already, so many sacrifices had been made, the last one scarring Usagi more than ever before.

Standing in front of her mirror, the blonde haired looked at herself, dressed in full black, her hair down from it's usual ondago style. Her skin was pale and her eyes baggy from lack of sleep, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Now there wasn't anything left inside of her. Without Mamoru, she wasn't anything. He was her world, and now he had been taken from it. The future…there would be no future. Not without him. Usagi didn't want a future without him to occur. At this point, she couldn't care less about the enemy, or what would happen to the world.

"Mamo-chan," Usagi whispered softly, reaching a clammy hand out and touching the mirror. "If you could hear me now, what would you say…?" She laughed hollowly, "Probably 'Cheer up, Usa. It's not the end of the world.' Peh…" Closing her eyes, she let out a deep and sorrowful sigh. "Without him…there isn't a world worth living anymore. Not anymore…"  
Walking into the room, Luna looked up towards Usagi with concern in her eyes. Ever since Mamoru had died…well, to say the least, the talking cat had never seen the girl so depressed before. Even when Beryl took him away, it still didn't compare to the sadness. There was little that a mere Cat could say to help brighten the spirits of her companion and Princess, sighing softly.  
"Usagi…they're preparing to leave," Luna informed, tugging at a dark violet ribbon tied around her neck, "…I can't say how sorry I am about this. I wish there was something we could do to change it…you have to try to be strong. I'm sure we'll find a way to bring him back." Usagi remained silent, not saying a word. Even though she did not say anything, Luna knew exactly what was going on in her mind. There was no turning back now. No reassurance would help. If only something came along, something that could give them hope…letting out a sigh, Luna turned to leave the room, "Usagi, we better get going. We don't want to keep everyone waiting." For a while, there was silence.

"…I'll see you in the car," Usagi finally said, her voice quiet. With a nod of her head, Luna sighed and walked out of the room.

Everyone was there at the funeral. The Inner Senshi, the Outers, and a few of Mamoru's friends, because he had no family, the gathering was small and almost exclusive. Even Rei was there, though still bandaged and on crutches from her strange dream. Everyone's faces were dark and gloomy, feeling immense pain from this occurrence. Their Prince was dead, and they couldn't do anything to change it. What _could_ be done? It appeared as if there wasn't any going back now. Still, the group tried to hope that this 'Angel of Death' was related to the Deathbusters. The signs were very similar to when Chibi-usa had her soul stolen by Mistress 9. None of it reached to Usagi though. She didn't care at this point, wanting to die from all of the sorrow. Something inside of her told her to keep going, that there was hope. That part was fading quickly as she stared down at the coffin chosen for her destined love.  
As the clergyman continued to speak, reading from the scripture. By now, most everyone had drowned out his speaking, the only thoughts in their head were someone beloved was gone. The words didn't matter right now. What would they do now? The future wouldn't happen if Mamoru wasn't around...hell, Chibi-usa probably ceased to exist in the future. That, of course, would throw the entire time/space continuum into a chaotic unbalance, all because of one singular death of a person. It wasn't meant to happen…somehow, once again, Fate had been thrown off course. Just like before, just like when the Deathbusters first arrived. After that, Fate continued to skew out of balance. What had caused it to occur in the first place?

Lifting her eyes from the wooden coffin Mamoru rested in, Usagi glanced ahead and over towards those who had gathered around. All of them were silent and somber. Only nine knew of the importance of him, only nine knew what would happen in the future, only nine knew that there wasn't a future without him. With glazed eyes, Usagi gazed to each of the faces surrounding her.  
"Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust," The clergyman said, the coffin slowly lowering into the ground. Usagi felt her heart suddenly wrench inside of her, churning uncomfortably. Apart of her wanted to yell, for his body to be preserved until they could find a way to restore him. But it was impossible…it was futile. Gazing down towards the ground, Usagi felt the urge to jump into the ground and allow herself to be buried with the man of her dreams. The others would stop her though, she knew them too well than to try something like that. Finally, the coffin reached the bottom, and the clergyman closed his book, the service finished. Raising her eyes up once again, Usagi spotted two people in the back…one with pink hair, the other a tall girl with platinum blonde hair, which was tied back in a ponytail. They were both recognizable, though it was difficult to tell whom the taller blonde girl was at first. Enala…and Lizzie…where here?

Before Usagi could question the two of them, her friends surrounded her, her fellow Senshi. Her mindset was brought back to the current situation. The coldness and emptiness began to swallow her again. Everyone began to speak softly to her, all of which were drowned out. Usagi's empty blue eyes fell down to the hole in which her love was being laid to rest. Encouragement, sadness, words that would hopefully help her. None of them meant anything right now. No one noticed how cold Usagi felt, and no one noticed their two guests. Noticing that Usagi was surrounded by her friends and allies, the two aloof Zodiac turned on their heels and left the scene.

Looking up from the group surrounding their grieving Princess, Makoto looked around at the other people who had gathered. Besides them, only Usagi's family and a few of Mamoru's friends- including Motoki and Asanuma a manga-only character- were present. However, her keen green eyes fell upon the leaving Enala and Lizzie. Why were they there?

"Excuse me, guys," Makoto said, leaving the group and walking quickly after the two Zodiac Senshi. All of them knew whom they were, Ami having told them about the incident at Mugen Gauken. Quickening her pace to match theirs, Makoto walked up behind the two. "Hey, you guys!" The two of them turned around.

"Oh, Makoto-san," Enala said, smiling up at the brunette, "I guess you spotted us…how is she?" Makoto remained tense as they spoke, glancing over her shoulder towards the group surrounding Usagi.

"I really don't know," Makoto said quietly, looking back to the two standing in front of her, "Mamoru-san was everything to Usagi-chan. I don't know how she'll recover…_if _she'll recover. He was her past, present and future. We can only hope she'll be alright…eh? By the way, why are you two here? It's not like you know him."

"We came to pay our respects to our deceased Prince," Enala said with a mystical tone to her voice. Makoto's eyes widened…was Enala willingly giving up her identity to her! Lizzie folded her arms over her chest.

"Don't be surprised, Princess of Jupiter," She muttered, "I know that you know who we are, and we also know who _you _are. Just because you wear a mini-skirt and high heels doesn't mean that we can't tell the difference between you and Sailorjupiter." Makoto narrowed her eyes slightly. So, they knew who she was, and probably the rest of the Sailorsenshi. Did they really all look the same as they did in the Silver Millennium? If that wasn't the case, they did look relatively the same in Senshi form as civilians, it was surprising how the whole populace of Tokyo - and the world - didn't catch on to who they really were. Maybe it took other Sailorsenshi to recognize them…or maybe Enala and Lizzie were just perceptive.

"I see," Makoto said after a while of silence, looking tensely at the two girls, "So you know who I am, but do you know about the others?"

"We are aware that Ami-san and Usagi-san saw us henshin," Enala said in a stoic voice, looking up at Makoto, "We suspected that they would tell you who we really are. That is alright though, you would have found out one way or another." It seemed as if she was purposely avoiding Makoto's question. Perhaps not to arouse more suspicion around them.

"Its not like any of us are going to go about telling the news that we're Sailorsenshi, blah de blah," Lizzie commented, shrugging her shoulders, "At least, that's what I'm assuming, eh? A little secret between Senshi." Makoto nodded her head in a tense manor. Although at first she was comfortable being around these two new transfer students, now being around them was becoming more stressful. Like they weren't on good terms, like they weren't friends; like they weren't allies. Part of that was true. Most of the other Senshi agreed that these two couldn't be trusted, despite how friendly they were with them. Even though their intentions seemed to be good, it was unknown what the Zodiac's motives were, and why they refused to work with the Sol Senshi. Perhaps it was the hidden mystery behind them, the fact that they knew who the Sol Senshi were, despite not appearing to be from this system. The question popped back in Makoto's mind: what were they after?  
"Of course," She said after a while, "That secret will be with us, but all of our team know about it, yes. But…" Makoto's voice trailed off, "Something still bugs me, and I think it bugs everyone else too. Before, when you helped us, you seemed perfectly _willing_ to, but you don't seem to want to work with us, and have some other agenda or motive to being here."

For a while after Makoto spoke, there was a tense and awkward silence between the three girls. Neither of them spoke. It was like Lizzie and Enala were debating in their minds what to say, and what they _could _say to Makoto, a Princess in which the held with the utmost regard, and yet seemed so distant from. It was a difficult question to answer, it seemed, as they must have their orders to keep quiet, keep hidden or do something along those lines. To keep separate from the Sol Senshi at all costs. Yet, somehow, it appeared like they also wanted to work with them, but somehow couldn't. What were the dark secrets that the Zodiac so carefully hid.

Finally, Enala spoke, "It is…difficult to explain," She said, answering Makoto's suspicions that there was much more to them then it seemed. "In short…we were never meant to work with you, along side you, or even be seen. That is why we are not willing to join forces with you. In all of our memories, it has always been that way. That is why you do not remember us from the past, and that is all that I can say to you now."  
"I see…" Makoto stated, not really sure of what else she could say at this moment. So…it was true that they did originate from this system, yet somehow were hidden, but could she really believe that? "Though, how can I believe you? You're all so different from us…for all we know, you could be lying."

"That's true," Lizzie muttered, scratching her head, "We really don't have the proof that what we say is true, all you need to do is trust us."

"There isn't much to trust," Makoto said quickly in a dark tone. That was also quite true. For a group of Senshi they had never heard of, who appeared to have motives on their own, it was difficult to trust in someone who's word could mean nothing. Even with the Starlights, the Sol Senshi were quite reluctant about trusting them. Lizzie laughed at Makoto's sharp comment, somehow having a good attitude about this whole thing.

"While I have to admit, you have a good point," She laughed again, "Sorry about the whole secrecy thing, but that's part of our _job_ as Zodiac Senshi. Only Queen Selenity knew about us, and with her gone, our proof is as well, eh?" Laughing once more, she shook her head.

Makoto blinked at the mention of Queen Selenity. While they did seem to know that they were princesses, none of them had mentioned the name of Serenity or Selenity before. Could it be that they were telling the truth? It was quite possible, and Makoto wanted to believe that in her heart. Then again, according to what Usagi said about Princess Kakyuu, the Silver Millennium was quite known throughout the Galaxy. They could be lying, though it was difficult to tell at this point. She would have to consult the other Senshi about this in the end.

"It will all be revealed soon…" Enala said in a mystical tone. Makoto brought her attention to the two woman standing before her, looking over to them.

"Huh? Revealed…?" A smile formed upon Enala's lips, but she said nothing more.

"Makoto!" Minako's voice could be heard, "Makoto, we're going to head out to the wake! Come on!" Turning her head over her shoulder, Makoto nodded,

"Alright!" She hollered back, turning her head around to say goodbye to Enala and Lizzie, but found they had vanished. "What in the…?" Without wanting to question it further, Makoto trotted off towards the group.

While the group had piled into the limo to head over to Usagi's home for the wake, Usagi had opted not to go with them. While this shocked everyone, she wished to walk home alone to have some time to herself. The group wasn't too happy about that, with her being so depressed and vulnerable, and the enemy around there somewhere, Usagi insisted that she would be all right. Eventually they let her go home, the young girl putting on the façade that she'd be fine, which quickly dropped when she was all alone. Alone and cold…afraid and scared. With all of her hope drawn away, Usagi found herself lost within thoughts of Mamoru, memories of the past and the forgotten future that would never happen.

After paying a visit to his grave for a short while, Usagi began to drag herself home, not even bothering to go onto buses or anything of that nature. Mamoru was gone, and so was a great deal of her soul. Everything that she was, all of her hopes and dreams died when the infamous Angel of Death took his soul. A member of the Deathbusters most likely, though at this point, she didn't care. All that was in that empty mind of hers was that he was dead, the image of his corpse on the ground imprinted forever onto her memory. The others would want her to go on, though Usagi felt that there was no more point in her life. Nothing else mattered, she just wanted to be alone.  
Quite suddenly, the words of that girl Usagi had spoken to in the park began to ring in her head. _It is better to be alone then to suffer like this…_Such a sad and lonely girl. Usagi thought that she had never met someone so sorrowful before, someone who might be as sad and afraid as she was. The monotone in that girl's voice told her that she had dulled the pain, like it no longer mattered anymore, growing bitter and cold. Would she turn into that hollow, emotionless shell now that Mamoru was gone? Now that there was no more point in her life?

Love and justice. Ha. Nothing but a lie. Love felt like a wonderful, miraculous thing, until that love was taken away, her heart shattered. Even being Sailormoon didn't seem to matter anymore to her. Not without a future for her, not without him. For the longest time, Usagi had dreamed about being a normal girl, about forgetting her duty as a Sailorsenshi. Maybe that would happen now, but she would never be normal, not after what she had seen on that night. The night where her heart was shattered and crushed.

Where was that strength she once had? Where was that amnesia that she had when Galaxia killed Mamoru, where her soul erased that so the pain wouldn't be so much? Why hadn't that happened to her now? Where was that hope, that dream, that courage she possessed when her friends were dying right and left, where the only person she could ever love was taken away from her? Gone. It had vanished that night, the night when her love was murdered. Somehow knowing that there was hope on the other side gave her courage, but now there was none of that. Usagi knew what happened to devoured souls, they would disappear entirely. This time there was no Hotaru to return the souls of her slain friends to their corpses. This time there was no hope, no light, no people telling her everything would be all right. Not when they knew what happened to drained souls. By now it was probably too late.

Alone and lost in her own thoughts, Usagi did not even notice where she was going now. Strangely, she found herself in a different district than the one she lived in, perhaps next to the one the cemetery was in. She hadn't been there before, not that it mattered. Slowly raising her cloudy blue eyes to the sky, the storm clouds overhead seemed to echo the darkness that clouded over her heart. Somehow it felt reassuring to her, that the skies were sad as well. Was it because they had lost their prince, or perhaps it was just weather patterns as usual? A soft thunder rumbled in the distance, though for once Usagi was not scared of it. Already she was afraid of the future, the storm clouds not adding to what she felt inside of herself. A single raindrop fell upon her pale face, followed by another, and another. The skies opened up and began to cry, bringing tears once again to her blue eyes. Eyes that were once kind and soft were now cold and empty.

Lowering her head back down, Usagi started walking again, her feet taking her into a small park in the district she had wandered into. Lost and cold, the tears started flooding her eyes and blurring her view. No one noticed, the rain coming down as heavy as the salty tears did within her eyes. Coming to a stop under a tree, Usagi closed her eyes and leaned her head against the bark.

"Why…?" She asked in a shaken, quiet voice, "Why does Fate always take him away from me? Why does Destiny always throw hurtles within our path as rulers, always hinder what happens? Why….why, God…why…" With a choked sob, Usagi's shoulders heaved as she began to weep again. She had cried so many times in these past few days that she had lost count. Why…why was she alone all of the time? Was this her true destiny?

"Such a pitiful girl," A snide and cold voice said from behind her, Usagi not even moving to see who it was, "Did you ever think that Destiny wants you to be alone? You defiled a pact and engaged within a forbidden relationship. This is what you get for defying God and not even looking back."

Slowly turning her head, Usagi looked out between her tears to see the form of the brown-haired woman who had attacked them before…a Sailorsenshi dressed in black and pink. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that this Evil Senshi had survived the attack of the Zodiac, but felt no fear, or anger towards her.

"What a sad little girl you are, so lost and afraid," The Evil Senshi sneered, chuckling slightly, "Tsk, it reminds me of someone _else _I know…only her love doesn't exist. You'll learn to numb the pain, _Sailormoon._" She said the name with such disgust, yet…somehow it seemed different from most of the villains whom she had faced. It was said almost mockingly, yet so bitterly cold. With her face back to the tree again, Usagi closed her eyes and leaned her head against the bark.

"…Just kill me…" She whispered. To die…to die and be with him again…even if they couldn't have a future together, at least they could be in heaven. But…if this was truly an act because God was angry with her, perhaps Usagi did not deserve to be in heaven. Perhaps she did not deserve Mamoru. Who cared? At least it would numb the pain.

A smirk formed upon the Evil Senshi's face, "Tsk, I didn't think it would be easy! But if you absolutely _insist…_" Walking towards Sailormoon, she raised the ebony shaft of her wand towards Usagi's back, ready to bring a swift end to the so-called Savior of the Earth…

"Capricorn Seasonal Eclipse!" Suddenly the sky darkened and the rain stopped for a brief instant, as beams of green light shot down from between the rain clouds and sliced into the earth, causing fissures and explosions through the ground and aiming themselves towards the Evil Senshi. Jumping backwards, she raised her arms in defense, the beams directing themselves toward her and slicing into her arms.

"Agh!" She yelped, wincing and backing up as the light tore ribbons into her unprotected arms, her gloves combusting under the energy and ripping through her flesh. The light continued to batter against her, slashing into her arms and legs. After a few seconds, the light died down. Fresh blood sprayed forth form the Evil Senshi's wounds, falling onto the ground and quickly forming a pool of deep crimson. Somehow, that attack seemed much more powerful then before.

Leaping down from the tree Usagi leaned against, Sailorcapricorn landed delicately before the emotionally unstable girl in a defensive position. "Unfortunately," She said in a dark tone, "I cannot allow you kill Usagi-chan. I do not care if she desires it, it is not her destiny, and she is my _friend._ Should you try to harm her, I will destroy you." Taking another steep backwards, the Evil Senshi scowled, gritting her teeth angrily.

"Damn you!" She hissed, "How dare you, you lousy little thief! Be glad; this time I spare you…but next time I won't be quite so patient!" With another low growl, the Evil Senshi melted away into the shadows, disappearing from the park entirely. Turning around, Usagi faced Capricorn, staring at her through tear-filled eyes.  
"Why…did you save me…?" She asked in the same quiet voice. Smiling, Capricorn walked over to Usagi, her fuku melting away and revealing her civilian outfit. Wrapping her arms around the shorter girl, Capricorn - Loren - pulled her in a warm embrace.

"Usagi-chan, death is never the answer to problems," Loren whispered in a kind voice, "Even if the person you love more then anything else in this universe- even life itself- has been taken away from you, dying will only bring them sadness. I do not think you would want Endymion to be saddened by you're death. Even if it brings you back together, the sadness will always be there. You see, he wants you to be happy, and the only way to do that is to continue on with your life."

Although Usagi's crying had stopped, she was taken off guard by the sudden hug Loren had given her, and words of kindness. She spoke as if she knew what she was saying…but did she actually know her pain? The bitterness returned to her heart, the same time Haruka had shouted at her. How did she know?

"And who…are you one to know…?" Usagi whispered in a dark and cold voice, still shaken from her crying. Loren raised a hand and gently pet the top of Usagi's hair.

"I know exactly what it is that you are feeling right now, in this desperation," Loren said in a gentle voice, it too going quiet, "The pain and sorrow of loosing someone so dear to your heart is devastating, and it hurts a lot, especially right away. The person that I cared for died, and I felt like my whole world had ended. Eventually, I got back into life again. Even if you return back to the life you once lead, that hole in your heart will remain. Without them, you can learn to live without them, but you need to understand that you will always miss them. If you get used to it, if you get used to them not being there, then it makes you numb on the inside. It is far more painful to become numb then to learn that life goes on without them. Everyone lives, and everyone dies. That is something you must understand." Usagi lifted her head to look up at Loren, tears once again welling up within her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. Moving her hand from the back of the blonde's head, Loren gently whipped away Usagi's tears.

"Crying is alright, but it ruins your pretty face," She said quietly, petting the younger girl's head again, "I'm sure Mamoru would love to see you smile again. Now, lets get you home nice and safe, Usagi-chan." Slowly nodding her head, Usagi bit down on the inside of her lower lip.

Walking with her arm around Usagi's shoulder, Loren guided her back home. The two walked in silence as they wove through the cluttered streets, the rain pouring down upon their forms. Still, Loren seemed so warm and kind, treating someone she barely knew with such love and respect. Was it because of their past? Was Loren found of Serenity during that time ago? Somehow, being in the presence of this taller, mature girl made Usagi feel better, especially with those words. Yes, Mamoru would have wanted her to be happy, but somehow…she still felt conflicted. Still felt sad, still felt hopeless and afraid. Would there be a future for her without him? _Could _there be a future? Her stomach began to twist up thinking about it. Even though he was gone, even though he would have wanted her to be happy, Usagi couldn't help but feel sad, lost and alone.

Managing to make it into the Juuban District again, Usagi suddenly wondered who Loren was addressing. Raising her head to look at Loren, she spoke in a weak voice, "L-Loren…w..who were you talking about…before…?" With a smile, Loren looked up to the dark sky.

"My father," Her voice was quiet, yet somehow found, as if recalling a pleasant memory, "He died when I was young. I loved him dearly, he was a good man. I was devastated to find out that he had cancer and our time together suddenly shortened. I thought I couldn't go on with my life when he died, but I had to. I still miss him a lot, but I've learned to live with myself now. I cherish all of the time that we spent together, and he'll always live on in my memories and in my heart."

_ Loren…how had she gotten so strong? _ Usagi thought to herself, watching the Irish girl's face as the two walked through the rain. Somehow she admired that. Perhaps, in time, she too would learn to live with the pain, though apart of her would always miss Mamoru, always long for him. Maybe…she wouldn't turn out to be the sad and emotionless girl she had meet in the park, and more like Loren. _ Yet…without him…I…I don't have a future… _ Her mind kept on plaguing her with that one fact, the fact that there was no hope or future without him. Strength and living on with herself, becoming happy, or being miserable and emotionless. Which would she become? If only she could be so kind and brave as Loren, then maybe, just maybe, she might turn out alright in the end…

If only Usagi _had _that strength left in her.


	6. Orbiters of the Planets?

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Thoughts  
Time break / Scene change  
Authors Notes

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon: Eternal Darkness Episode 6 - _Orbiters of the Planets? Past Lives Revealed! _**

So many things had happened in the span of one short week, that seemed to last forever. It was apparent that an enemy that was once thought to have been defeated, the Deathbusters, had returned to their former glory and were now more powerful then they ever were before. No one knew if they still desired the world to take as their own, to make it their new home world, or if they were lusting for revenge. The Deathbuster's strength was so great now, especially now that one of their operatives had killed the future King of the Earth, Chiba Mamoru. A creature known only as 'The Angel of Death' had appeared, leaving the same markings on it's previous victims and the trademark of a soul being taken; a gaping hole in the chest, blood still flowing fresh from the wound, though the body's skin tone appeared to be white, as if they had been dead for hours. Something that was required for Daimons to live, a soul of a living person. Did they know that Mamoru was a powerful enemy of theirs, or was it just coincidence? No one could say for sure, but it was something that even the Sailorsenshi had trouble comprehending.

Buried, left for dead, Mamoru was cast out of their lives so abruptly that no one knew what had hit them. All of the members of the Sol Senshi had been hit hard with the fact that they no longer had their prince, their future ruler, and to Usagi, the future itself. Even though her friends and allies surrounded her, even though someone had comforted her with such words of encouragement upon Mamoru's funeral, the darkness continued to brew over her heart. Nothing else in the world mattered to her, all of her strength, courage and hope having disappeared that night when his blood stained her body. When tears seemed endless, when the future had suddenly collapsed and her heart shattered.

Even the skies were crying. Ever since the day that the mangled body of the once-Prince of the Earth had been burred, the sky was cloudy and weeping with the sobs of Usagi. No one knew or understood how she felt, not even Loren, who had lost someone precious to her as well. Not even Makoto, who's parents were dead. Not even Hotaru, whose Father had fallen into madness and caused so much pain and suffering upon the world. No one.

Still, the Sailorsenshi wished to continue on with their battle, despite the sadness that was brought with the death of Mamoru. Usagi was pressured into continue on with her duties. Reluctantly, sadly, she managed to drag herself to a meeting at the Hiwaka Shrine.

It had been decided that perhaps it was best for Rei to perform a fire reading to find out more about their enemy, and perhaps the Zodiac Senshi as well. However, Michiru and Haruka were reluctant in allowing her to do such a thing, Rei's severe wounds having not healed and the last psychic attempt she had done resulted in those injuries. Rei insisted that it was the best thing to do, as they had no other leads as to how or why the Deathbusters had returned, as well as the truth behind the Zodiac. Even what fragmented information Makoto had heard from Enala and Lizzie - Sailorcancer and Sailorlibra - at Mamoru's Funeral was little help.

Kneeling in front of the sacred fire, Rei held her hands out in a folded position, her eyes closed in a deep trance. The others sat around her in a semi-circle, giving her complete silence as to better concentrate. Slowly, the dark-haired miko's Priestess brow furrowed, lowering her hands down and opening her dusty eyes. Somehow there was evil radiating off of the fire, giving a terrible and foreboding presence in the room. In an instant, the flames suddenly turned pure black and exploded outwards, the fire raging out of control and bursting forth from the usual sacred shrine.

"Rei-chan!" Minako gasped, quickly lunging forward and grabbing the weakened girl, dragging her back from the burning fire. "Quick, someone get a fire extinguisher!" Haruka was already on it, rushing towards the opposite side of the shrine to where it rested, but stopped dead in her tracks as a dark laugh echoed across the room.

_"Ah Hahahahahaha!"_ It laughed, having a dark and evil cackle to it, yet sounding somehow familiar. _"Foolish little girls! You do not understand what you're up against! Soon the Shadow of Silence will strike when you least expect it!" _The evil laugh died down and the fire suddenly exploded, dying out and leaving burn marks scattered across the shrine. The flames had burned up the entire alter that the sacred fire rested upon, but thankfully, no one was hurt.

"Th…the…Shadow of Silence…?" Rei whispered between clenched teeth, opening her eyes again to look at the damage the black flames had caused. Her mind was instantly brought back to that nightmare she had, a strange nightmare that caused the pain she saw in it effect her. The voice that spoke to her said it was the Shadow…could it have to do with this 'Shadow of Silence?'

Haruka walked over to one of the burn spots upon the shrine floor, reaching down and hesitantly touching it. The charcoal rubbed against her fingers, but was as cool as the rest of the wood. Phew, at least they had no worries about the fire spreading or starting up again. Standing up, she looked over to the group, specifically Hotaru, who was sitting in silence. "The Shadow of Silence…do you think you know who or what that is, Hotaru?" The pale-skinned girl slowly shook her head, her usually bright violet eyes growing dark and murky.

"I don't know," She whispered, her eyes lifting up from the floor and staring at the charred prier, "If it is a _shadow _of mine, then I have no other choice but to destroy it…"

"Maybe it's possible there are more then one Senshi of the planets…" Makoto mused, blinking slowly.

"That is quite impossible," Setsuna informed, looking over to Hotaru, then to the prier, "There is only one Sailorcrystal per Senshi name. However, it could be quite possible that there are more then one Senshi that has an element. There are a limited amount of them, and in an infinite Universe, there could be far more Senshi then elements…perhaps it is someone from another system, or a Galaxy."

"I…I don't think so…" Rei said in a weak voice, slowly sitting up on her own, "If…whomever talked to us through the fire said _Shadow of Silence_, that means that it's probably a clone or another Senshi of Saturn…though I don't see how that's possible…or maybe she's not a real Sailorsenshi…just a shadow, like the Animamates." She paused for a moment, slowly raising to her feet, "I have a feeling…that somehow this 'Shadow of Silence' is somehow related to 'the Shadow' that spoke to me through my dream." For a while there was silence as Rei reached for her crutches, leaning on them for support. "I'm going to go talk to Grandpa…he won't be happy that the temple nearly burned down." Laughing nervously, but stopping after the realized that no humor would be appropriate in this situation, Rei muttered to herself and hobbled out of the room. Hoping to her feet, Minako hurried after the Miko incase she needed assistance in such a simple task as walking.

"I wonder…" Ami whispered, putting her chin in her hand, signifying thought, "…Could this 'Shadow of Silence' be another enemy? She certainly doesn't sound like anyone the Deathbusters could have constructed, nor someone who could work with them. We may be dealing with a double threat this time…"

"Indeed," Michiru whispered, pulling out her mirror. "Perhaps my mirror can better shed light upon this, now that we know what it is we're searching for." The group seemed to agree, scooting on the floor on their knees towards Michiru to see what she could come up with. Before they could get started, the Sailorsenshi felt a sudden surge of evil energy as the ground began to rumble loudly, shaking violently. Quite suddenly, roots began to shoot up from the ground and tear through the fragile wood of the shrine floor. This got the girls attention, each of them springing to their feet, save for Usagi. She just stared blankly at the roots that continued to break through the wood, like it didn't matter. Not that it did to her anyway. A fresh root shot towards her, the blonde not even bothering to move from her spot. While the others were busy dodging the fast-growing roots, they failed to notice that their depressed leader wasn't standing.

Looking back to check to see if everyone was intact, Makoto spotted the root shooting towards Usagi. Turning on her heel, she madly dashed towards her friend. "Usagi!" She yelled, quickly tackling the smaller girl to the ground and effectively shoving her out of the way, the root moving past them and crashing into the opposite wall. Looking down to her friend, Makoto stared wide-eyed down at the blank face of Usagi. "Usagi! You have to snap out of it! Something's going on, and we have to--"

Makoto's voice was abruptly cut off by the loud screams of Minako and Rei coming from outside. Their voices cause the murkiness within Usagi's eyes to bleed away, seeing Mamoru's corpse again in her mind…and then thinking of her friends. Oh, God no, not another death! Shakily raising to her feet, week courage began to build inside of the small girl. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give her strength to transform. Holding her hands outwards, Usagi called forth the Legendary Moon Chalice StarS Manga henshin item, closing her eyes and drawing power from within herself.

"Silver Moon Power, MAKE-UP!" She yelled, her eyes remaining closed as the Chalice shimmered with light, releasing its powers and surrounding her with a flurry of white feathers. In an instant, she transformed into Eternal Sailormoon. Somehow, being her alter ego managed to temporarily erase the pain and sadness that plagued her, reverting to her old self. Perhaps it was just a force of habit, or perhaps hearing her friends scream in pain gave her strength.

Getting the hint from Usagi to transform, the other Sailorsenshi produced their henshin broaches.

"Mercury Crystal Power…"

"Jupiter Crystal Power…"  
"Neptune Crystal Power…"

"Uranus Crystal Power…"

"Pluto Crystal Power…"

"Saturn Crystal Power…"

Then, all together, they shouted, "MAKE UP!" In a flurry of colors, the group transformed into their Sailorsenshi identities.

Rushing outside, the group was encountered with another Daimon, this one having been transformed from a large tree in the shrine. Its roots ran deep through the ground, tearing up the concrete with its hard roots that continued to grow and spread. The entire temple had been taken over by this botany gone wrong, though it was odd…there didn't appear to be anyone near-by to plant the seed within this tree.

Most important of all was the fact that the pale and lifeless bodies of Rei and Minako were tethered to its roots, apparently having absorbed their souls. All of that hope and courage that had been building inside of Sailormoon had suddenly dropped, her heart being crushed again. The color quickly drained from her skin and she took a steep backwards from the monster.

"N-no…" She whispered breathlessly, "N-Not again…"

"God-damnit!" Sailoruranus hissed, her eyes narrowing darkly, "Damn bastard! Sailormoon, if we can kill it, their souls will return to them!" Withdrawing the elegant hilt of the Space Sword, the glowing white blade extended outwards as she lunged towards the creature. "Space Sword Blaster!" She yelled, releasing an arc-shaped blast of energy towards the roots holding Minako and Rei.

"Submarine Reflection!" Sailorneptune followed up in the traditional manor, raising her mirror and releasing a powerful burst of dark teal energy. The two attacks meet at opposite sides of the vines holding their allies, slicing through them and blowing a great deal away of the root system. Hurriedly, Sailorjupiter rushed to her fallen friends, quickly picking their cold bodies up and dashing back to the sidelines.

"Chronos Typhoon!" Sailorpluto yelled, releasing a torrent of swirling black energy towards the creature.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Mercury followed up, releasing streams of ice from her hands. The two attacks merged together, creating a swirling vortex of wind and ice, crashing into the creature. Thankfully, it appeared as if things were working much better this time, the attack tearing into the Daimon's side, blowing away more of it's roots. Letting out a pain-filled shriek, the creature lashed out vines towards the group. Calmly lifting her Silence Glaive, Sailorsaturn stood in front of the group defensively.

"Silence Wall!" She yelled, creating an invisible dome of energy surrounding herself and her allies. The vines rammed against the barrier, pushing Sailorsaturn backwards. Digging her feet into the ground, the young Senshi gritted her teeth and withstood the pressure against her force field, wincing slightly. It appeared as if the defensive of this monster was weak, but it was strong in comparison to a weak defense. Narrowing her cold eyes, Saturn gripped tighter to her Glaive. "Silence Glaive, Surprise!" She yelled, a burst of amethyst light forming upon her Glaive, quickly encircling her and exploding outwards, remaining totally silent. Thrusting the blade of her weapon downwards, the dome shot outwards from her body and created a smoldering crater, the explosion continuing to grow.

"Garnet Ball!" Pluto yelled, holding her Garnet Orb up, a barrier of swirling mauve energy encircling her and the other Senshi, safely protecting them from the devastation of Saturn's attack. The light died down as Saturn stood in the nicely shaped crater she had created. Her eyes moved up the small indentation she had created, falling to the core of the monster the group had been battling. A lot of it had been destroyed by Saturn's attack, but it wasn't enough to kill the damn thing. If only she had used a little bit more power, but knew that wouldn't be possible or else risk destroying the entire temple in the process. Gripping her Glaive, Saturn glared up at the creature, which was quickly regenerating its broken limbs.

"Great, they can regenerate now as well!" Uranus yelled, her sword ready within her hands.

"Sailormoon, you'll have to finish it off," Mercury said quietly, looking over to their still shaken friend, "If you manage to kill it, it should release Rei and Minako's souls." Sailormoon bit down on her lower lip, slowly pulling out her Moon Tier. Would it really bring them back? Could they be saved? She had to believe, but did she have faith anymore? There was only one way to find out.

"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" She yelled, pointing her Tier towards what remained of the monster, beacons of bright pink light shooting towards it and piercing into its soul. Letting out a pain-filled shriek, the monster began to wither away, most if it's top and bottom being torn away. It did not kill the creature right away, leaving only a pulsating mid-section, attempting to re-construct itself. The vines that had not been blown away shot towards the pulsating torso, it's leathery tethers wrapping around what remained. As if absorbing itself, the Daimon reformed into much more of a monstrosity then it already was, raising up off of the ground and grinning with a malicious glint to it's eyes.

"This…this won't ever end…" Moon whispered quietly, taking a steep backwards from the monster.

As the rain fell down from the sky, cloudy blue eyes stared up at the darkened sky with a tired enthusiasm. Another day with rain…it seemed almost endless now. Sighing, Enala looked away from the cloudy sky and across the table she sat at, looking over to Lizzie, then over to Loren, who sat beside her.

"Somehow I have a bad feeling inside of my heart," She said quietly, sighing and looking down to her drink, "Something major is going to happen, but what it is, I don't know."

Leaning back in her seat, Lizzie also turned her eyes out the window of the restaurant they sat in and to the dark skies, "I don't think anyone does. Our Princesses seem to know about this enemy better then we do. Still…" She sighed out, hanging her head and shaking it softly, "I have a feeling…"

"Oh?" Loren asked, folding her hands carefully in her lap, "What kind of feeling, Liz?"

"I told you not to call me 'Liz,'" Lizzie muttered in response, her back slouching against the chair, "There's something faintly burned in my memories, I don't quite recall what it was. That girl that we fought, the one with the cloak, there's something strangely familiar about her," At this point Loren appeared to become quite uncomfortable, "Like a faded memory. I have a feeling that, somehow, she's connected to all of this."

"It is quite possible," Enala sighed, putting her face in her hands, "She does seem to be involved with whoever these 'Deathbusters' are. That is not all that troubles me, but also the 'Angel of Death' that killed Endymion-sama. Somehow I don't think that whoever they are, may be apart of something else entirely. But, we can't step in, not just yet."

There was a collective sigh that came from the three girls, silence following afterwards. Those three lone Zodiacs, separated from their kin, were at a loss for what they had to do. All three of them longed to join the battle with their beloved Princess, to aid in their victory and defeat this enemy. This could not be so, especially considering the shady past that they all shared with the Sol Senshi.

The silence was abruptly broken by Enala leaning forward and gripping at her heart. There was a sudden pain that tore through her system and filled every nerve with a strange pain. Something was happening again! The Sailorsenshi were in trouble, and she knew it. This pain was something that she had to endure whenever her Princess was in trouble. Likewise, Loren and Lizzie felt the same pain shooting through their system, warning them of the danger that surrounded those they held so dear to their heart. The link between their Sailorcrystals was strong, but only one-sided. What was the truth behind these strange Zodiac warriors?

Rising to their feet, the three girls hurriedly paid for their drinks and dashed out of the café they sat in. Once they had exited the building, all three looked about, listening to their hearts, for the cries of those who were in danger. Another thing that they possessed that the Sol Senshi could not feel.

"It is towards the shrine," Enala said, quickly dashing off in that direction, followed by her three companions.

"Agh!" Sailorsaturn yelped, her feet digging further into the ground as her Silence Wall kept herself and the other Senshi from harm. The strength of this Daimon was incredible, enough to cause the small Senshi of Silence to waver. At this rate, her barrier would not last for much longer.

"Space Turbulence!"

"Submarine Violin Tide!"  
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

A spherical dome of lighting crackled together, rushing forward with the tide behind it and bursts of green electricity merged together, swirling and forming an awesome team attack. As it hit the constantly regenerating Daimon, it let out a pain-filled scream, the attacks exploding upon and blowing bit's of its fleshy body across the Shrine. By now, the Sailorsenshi were becoming tired from constantly attacking the creature with insane regenerative powers. Sure enough, the bits of the Daimon that remained began to pulsate and gather together once again, reforming its previous body.

"It appears as if we need to destroy all of it," Sailormercury whispered, doubled over and panting from the amount of energy she had used during the fight, "That or we have yet to find the seed that holds its power."

"Goddamnit!" Uranus yelled, clenching her arm as blood flowed from a wound in it, "Where the hell is the core of that thing!"

Gently pressing her fingers against her earrings, Sailormercury stood up and called forth her visor. She began to view over the information that was outputted on her visor, biting down on her lower lip. How? It looked as if the dark energies in the monster were gathering together at multiple points, and it wasn't possible that so many could be Daimon Seeds! Or…Mercury gasped as she suddenly realized why this monster was so powerful and could regenerate so quickly.

"Everyone! This is not just _one _Daimon!" She yelled, "It is a combination of six or seven! That is why it is so powerful and can regenerate!"

"I see," Pluto said, her hands tightening around the silvery staff of her weapon, "We need to attack all at once in order to destroy them all!" All of the others nodded, taking deep breaths to calm their panting down. All but Saturn prepared for an attack, as she was preoccupied with defending them from the on slot of vines. As each of them prepared to fire attacks, they were stopped short…

"Blazing Fury!" A fissure of light shot through the ground from the top of the shrine steeps, moving up under the Daimon and slashing upwards, effectively slicing the creature in two.

"Holy Sphere!" Also coming from the same direction came the swirling sphere of Sailorcancer, it erupting upon contact with the Daimon, destroying one of the pods.

"Capricorn Seasonal Eclipse!" The sky darkened as beams of green light shot down, slicing into the Daimon. Without even looking at their helpers, the Sol Senshi also took the inciative, attacking the creature as well.

"Space Turbulence!"

"Submarine Violin Tide!"  
"Chronos Typhoon!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"  
"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!"

All of the Sol Senshi's attacks merged together in one concentrated blast of multiple, swirling energies, crashing into the Daimon and exploding with a beautiful, prismatic fury. With one last pain-filled scream, all of the Daimon Seeds disintegrated with the power of the combined attacks. Once the light died down, all that remained was a smoldering crater and a partially destroyed Temple. Floating serenely where the Daimon once was, were two shimmering spheres of light. Minako and Rei's Pure no Kokoro's Pure heart crystals/their souls.

"Their souls!" Mercury gasped, panting softly, "Quickly, we must return them to Rei and Minako." Sailormoon took a deep breath, lowering her Tier down and slowly walked over towards their glimmering souls. They had prevented more deaths, more of her friends getting hurt because of an enemy they had once thought they defeated. Gently taking them within her arms, Moon walked over to her friends and placed their souls back in their bodies. Minako and Rei both opened their eyes, staring up at the sky. Rei let out a groan and held her head, looking up at the worried face of Usagi.

"I--" Moon started, tears once again coming to her eyes, "I was so worried I would loose you guys…" Abruptly, she embraced both Minako and Rei, holding them close to her as she let out a choked sob. Minako blinked, but hugged the other blonde back, Rei doing the same after coughing from the sudden hug.

"Hey, we're more resilient then t…ta..that…" Minako stopped talking, her eyes widening as she witnessed the destruction, "Oh my god…what on Earth…?"

"There was a battle against a Daimon that was difficult to defeat," Sailorpluto informed, her mauve eyes narrowing at the three Zodiacs that stood before them. "So, you must be the Zodiac Senshi we have heard about."

The three Senshi looked to one another, as if they were secretly communicating with one another about what to do. Though no words were uttered, it looked as if they knew what one another was thinking. It was time. Steeping forward, Sailorcapricorn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Holding her palms gently to the side, she began to elegantly raise them up.

"Forest of Life," She said in a quiet voice, green light bathing the area. Energy seeped up from the Earth and surrounded the group of Sailorsenshi. The energy entered within their very souls, healing them of their wounds and returning their strength to them. Even the terrible wounds that Rei had suffered healed. Once the light died down, Capricorn took a deep breath, opening her eyes.

"A testament of our good will," She said, a warm smile upon her face.

"Thank you," Rei said, standing up and looking over to the three Zodiacs, much like everyone else. Makoto said that they knew whom each and every one of them were, thusly there was no need to hide it. "Why are you helping us? Who are you, really?" The other Sol Senshi agreed upon this, each of them giving a nod of their heads. Turning to her fellow Zodiac, Sailorcancer looked at each of them, each nodding to her. Facing the Sol Senshi once again, Cancer and the other two fell to their knees in a bow.

"Princess of the Planets, we greet you," The small fair-skinned Senshi said, her sphere hovering before her, "Although it is not our place to tell you who we are, we believe that we must go against what we stand for and inform you. It is of utmost importance that we do. I am sure Queen Selenity would have wanted us to work with all of you, after all of these years of being in the shadows.

"We are the Zodiac Senshi," Cancer continued, "Our Sailorcrystals do not originate from this system, but we ourselves do. We were chosen by Queen Selenity to be protectors of the planets, their Orbiters, and the secret Guardians of each and every one of you." Looking up, she smiled at Sailormoon, "I am Sailorcancer, the Holy Warrior, the leader of the Zodiac. I am the Orbiter of the Earth, and thusly it's moon. I hereby pledge my eternal allegiance to thee, Princess Serenity."

"So…" Sailormoon whispered, looking over to Sailorcancer, "…You were suppose to protect…M-Mamoru…" Her voice wavered upon saying his name, tears forming at the corners of her eyes, "T-That's why…you were at his funeral…" Sailorcancer could only nod sadly.

"I feel it is my fault for not protecting him," Her voice was quiet and sounded strained, "I felt that he was in danger…but I couldn't get there…I am very sorry for failing you and him, my Princess…but I know my words cannot bring him back. If there was a way, I would…I am deeply sorry…" The Moon Princess raised a hand to her mouth, muffling her quiet sobs. So, Enala too had felt that Mamoru was in danger…but how was that possible?

"I," Sailorlibra said, breaking away from the subject of Mamoru and speaking before any questions could be asked, "Am Sailorlibra, the Solider of Justice. I am the Orbiter of the planet Venus. I hereby pledge my eternal allegiance to thee, Sailorvenus, Minako." The tall girl smiled up at Minako, almost as if she had been dying to say those words for the longest of time. "All I have to say to you is that it is my greatest honor to finally be in your service, my Princess." Minako flushed at the comments, staring down at Libra with wide blue eyes. Somehow, all of these Zodiac knew who they were, they were Orbiters…and now they were pledging allegiance to each of them? Were they their guardians?

"I, um…" Minako stuttered, unable to find words at the moment, "…Wow. I don't…quite understand all of this."

"Finally," Capricorn smiled, cutting off the response Libra was about to give, "I am Sailorcapricorn, the Soul of the Forest, and the Senshi of Life. I am the Orbiter and protector of the Forbidden Planet of Silence, Saturn. To my dear Princess of Ruin, I pledge my eternal allegiance to thee." The tall Irish girl bowed her head in respect. Sailorsaturn remained gripping her Silence Glaive, unaware of what she could possibly say in response. With their introductions done, the group raised to their feet, waiting for the bombard of questions that the Sol Senshi were dying to say.

"Firstly," Uranus muttered angrily, still not having any trust in these girls, "How exactly do you know about us? Why do you treat us with such respect? Why don't _we _know about _you?_ Especially since you're acting like our guardians!" Sailorcancer smiled up at Haruka, folding her arms together.

"That is because we were created for the sole purpose of protecting the planets, being their Orbiters," She responded, "We were never to meet you in person, never to see you, never to be known that we were always watching over you. We witnessed you grow, your powers, your ascension to becoming Sailorsenshi. Each of us loves and cares for you dearly because of this, despite the fact that we have never actually meet you before in our past lives. Not until now."

"Queen Selenity picked us for our of brave, noble souls upon each of the planets we Orbit," Libra continued, leaning against her sword, "We were born under your rule, but as common people. Our civilian selves died the day we became the Zodiac, and only Queen Selenity knew of our existence, as well as each other. Once we became the Orbiters, we protected the planets and watched over each of you." Uranus still seemed wary of the Zodiac Senshi. Protectors of the planets? Weren't each of them supposed to do that?

"But," Sailorneptune said, getting at what Uranus was feeling inside, "Weren't we the ones suppose to protect the planets? And what of Uranus, Pluto and myself being the outer guardians? Isn't what you all say contradicts what we all are?"

"It may to you, but it doesn't to us," Capricorn smiled again, "You see, we were protectors of the individual planets. You protected its people, and the Outer Guardians protected the Silver Millennium from afar. In a sense, we are all quite similar, and yet so very different at the same time. However, much like you Outer Senshi, we too were never meant to leave our posts, living a lonely and dark existence, only occasionally battling against monsters."

"We are not that much different from each other," Pluto said, lowering from her defensive stance, "I do not understand why I was never aware of your presence, especially since I am the Guardian of Time." Libra laughed at that, scratching her back of her head.

"Yeah, well, we don't quite get why you didn't know about us either," She chuckled, "Hell, we suspected you always knew, but never said anything. Oh well, maybe Selenity did something to block your powers about us, or something along those lines, eh?"

"Yet," Mercury muttered, pressing her hand to her chin, "What is this 'Orbiters' thing that you keep mentioning? Does it have to do with your position?"

"Indeed," Cancer replied, looking up to the cloudy sky above, "The title 'Orbiter' is similar to your Inner and Outer titles. It stands for what we do and what we protect. In our case, we circled around the planets in a secret, hidden place. They were hidden by the power of the Ginzuishou, and I would not be surprised if they are visible now, or perhaps have been destroyed."

"From our locations," Capricorn continued on, "We could witness all that occurred during the Silver Millennium. That bright, beautiful light of our Queen and our Princesses gave us strength, and a hope that one-day we might meet you. That day has come, though under different circumstances then we originally hoped.

"To tell you the truth, the Silver Millennium you all know was not your first lives," Sailorcapricorn smiled again, witnessing shocked expressions from the Sol Senshi, including Sailormoon, "You all have lived many lives, too many for us to count, all of which during a similar pattern to the last Silver Millennium. Each time you were reborn as you were, living a life similar to it during a golden age. There were differences in all of the patterns, but most of it was quite similar. However, while you have all died and been reborn over and over, we have been alive since the very first Silver Millennium, the first time all of you were born. Of course, that was eons ago, and we do not remember most of those lives anymore." There was a long silence that lasted after this was said. Some of this was beginning to make a little bit of sense inside of them. Then it occurred…

"Wait…" Rei said, narrowing her eyes, "If we all have been reborn on our planets, in times similar to the Silver Millennium, why were we reborn here, during this life?"

"…What about…my mother…?" Sailormoon whispered breathlessly, a false hope building inside of her that her mother might have been reborn along with them. The Zodiac each looked to one another with sorrowful expressions, Sailorcancer looking back over to them.

"Fate suddenly changed in the last Silver Millennium," Her voice sounded forced, like she did not wish to recall what had happened 1000 years ago, "Several taboo's were broken then. Things happened as they should not have."

"The Princess of Saturn's powers had never been used before," Sailorcapricorn said in a wavering voice, her eyes falling upon the small frame of her Princess, "She had so much sheer, awesome power, the power to destroy worlds in order for things to be reborn. Never before had such corruption and darkness been involved in one place. Her powers to purify the world by destroying it had never awakened. However, during that battle, the powers of the Three Talismans of the Outer Guardians began to awaken, calling each of you there and summoning Saturn for the very first time," Capricorn closed her eyes, lowering her head down as a pained expression crossed her face, "I never wanted her to destroy herself so that others could be saved! I didn't want that to happen, and so, I broke my own taboo to warn you three about summoning her…but I arrived too late. I too was sucked up into the power of her attack, dying with you and was reborn here."

"I too left my post," Sailorcancer stated sadly, chewing on the inside of her lower lip, "Sailorlibra was so infuriated by Beryl's betrayal to Fate itself that she left in order to destroy her by herself, I left to stop her. Both of us were killed in Saturn's attack, much like Capricorn…all of this because of one choice that Beryl made to destroy the entire balance of Fate itself…" There was an unearthly pause, the Sol Senshi all being taken off guard by the comment about Beryl. She was never supposed to turn evil?

"Do you mean," Sailormoon said in a pensive tone, "That…Beryl…she was never suppose to turn evil? She was never suppose to find Metalia and destroy the Moon Kingdom?" Oh, god. If that was true, then something had caused the painful past of the Silver Millennium to occur when it should not have. To think…she could still have Endymion now, in his arms, together peacefully. All because of one choice a woman made long ago…grimly, Sailorcancer nodded her head.

"Yes," She whispered, "Much like the rest of you, she was always reborn. Such a terribly sad woman…someone who loved Endymion with all of her heart, and yet he shared nothing in return with her. He loved you, Serenity, and that is what Fate had decided long ago. Beryl lead the sad fate of unrequited love, and usually ended up committing suicide, or died a lonesome, sad death," Looking down at her feet, a grave expression was upon her face, "But, something happened. Something triggered her to lose control, becoming corrupted by Metalia and attack those she hated with a passion. Something threw Fate terribly off course…"

"What…what was it?" Sailorsaturn asked, her voice dark. Sailorcancer turned her head away from the Sol Senshi, her fists clenching. Each of the Zodiacs had pained expressions upon their faces, apparently remembering this was quite painful for them to recall. Even Sailormoon was feeling the same way, the sad story of her past causing her heart to ache even more then it was, but she said nothing.

"We…we don't know," Capricorn said, squeezing her eyes closed and biting down on her lower lip, "Because of that one little thing, everything that should not have happened _did._ Saturn was summoned, Endymion was killed by Beryl, and Serenity killed herself in sorrow. Everything died and was plagued with evil. Since that happened, Queen Selenity had no choice but to use the full power of the Ginzuishou, so that each of us could live and be reborn here, on Earth. She…she paid the price by ending the cycle of her Rebirth, dying the real death, never to live again…"

Sailormoon brought her hand up to her throat, feeling her heart beat heavily in there. Dead…dead and gone, forever. Her wonderful and beautiful mother, up there in the sky looking down at her. Looking down with Mamoru by her side. What would they think of her in this weakened state? God, if she only had that strength she had while fighting Galaxia…if only she had strength left in her at all. Now she knew, that false hope she had was gone, dead like Queen Selenity. All of the other Sol Senshi were thinking it as well, lost in their thoughts about their beloved Queen. Finally, they shared a mutual bond with the Zodiac. The bond of the Silver Millennium, and the painful loss of Queen Selenity. Everyone present suffered the loss of her, everyone wished they could see her again, and everyone loved her very dearly. If only Fate had kept on course…The silence was broken when Libra looked up, evidently fighting off tears of her own.

"We can't let this go unchanged," She said in a harsh tone, "Whomever this enemy is, we believe that they are the ones who caused Fate to get thrown off balance in the first place. We can do what we should have done all of those years ago, and get vengeance for what they have done now." Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword, as if ready to jump into battle at any moment. Sailorpluto raised her hand to the top of her staff, calling the Garnet Orb from it and staring into its surface.

"The Deathbusters," She said in a mystical tone, "Several years ago, they threw Fate off balance here in Tokyo, causing Saturn to awaken once again. Perhaps, it _is _them who destroyed Fate 1000 years ago…"

"The Deathbusters, eh?" Libra remarked, turning around and looking down at the crowd gathered around the Hiwaka Shrine, whom were all to afraid to venture up just yet, "The ones in Mugen Gauken, right?" There was a collective nod from the Sol Senshi, "I thought so. That weird girl in pink…I don't know, but somehow I feel like she's the connection between all of this. It's like…on the tip of my tongue, but it won't come out. Anyway…right now, we--" Her voice stopped as the crowd has suddenly turned into a screaming mob of people, surrounded by black mist, "What in the hell…?" She muttered in English, narrowing her eyes and taking a steep backwards. Thunder suddenly rumbled across the sky as an unbelievably strong dark aura approached, slowly coming up to the staircase. The dark clouds suddenly turned pitch black, blotting out the sun and causing an unearthly darkness. Each of the Sailorsenshi fell into defensive positions, all of them aware of the darkness that was looming closer to them. Even Sailormoon told herself to be brave, tightening her grip upon the Moon Tier.

"Such an overwhelming dark aura!" Rei yelled, quickly pulling out her Henshin broach, Minako following suit.

"Mars Crystal Power…"

"Venus Crystal Power…"

"MAKE-UP!" Both of them yelled at once, red and gold light surrounding them, their fuku forming upon their bodies. They too stood in a defensive position. The Sailorsenshi squinted through the darkness, trying to make heads and tails of what was going on. It was if the darkness was consuming them…

"Something is coming…" Pluto muttered in a dark voice, the Garnet Ball glowing and illuminating the area around the shrine for her fellow Sailorsenshi. Black mist curled around their ankles, and slowly, the dark aura neared them, the sounds of bare feet heard ascending the stone staircase…


	7. The Shadow of Silence Appears!

Authors Notes

_ Thoughts _  
Time break/scene change

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon - Eternal Darkness Episode 7: _The Shadow of Silence Appears! Saturn's Fierce Battle._**

Everything was silent. Far too silent for comfort. Not a single bird could be heard, no raindrops fell to the ground. Not even the wind blew about. All that could be heard now were the hear beats and audible breath of the Sailorsenshi. Everything seemed to be amplified by the deathly silence, including the hollowed sound of footsteps which scaled up the stairs to the Hikawa Shrine. An eerily dark aura surrounded the area and filled every sense that the Sailorsenshi had with evil. Every one of them was tense, prepared for the worst and prepared for what lay beyond the entrance to the shrine.  
Illuminated only by the mauve energy of the Garnet Orb, the Sailorsenshi noticed a piece of whomever scaled the steps appeared just beyond their eyesight. The tips of black angel wings spread outwards, as well as the curved blade of a black weapon, which glowed with purple symbols, which did not appear to be from Earth. Soon the entirety of the blade could be seen, which had a sharp and large appearance to it. A second blade curved up against it, forming the familiar shape of a Glaive. It was, however, clearly noticeable that its design was quite different from the weapon which Sailorsaturn carried with her. The blades were sharper and had more accented curves, which formed a wicked looking weapon.

As the person continued to ascend the steps, more of the Glaive-like weapon could be seen, as well as the large black feathery wings. An Angel…an Angel of Death? All of the Sailorsenshi remained silent and still, their eyes trained upon the place where the figure would appear. Within only a matter of time, the shadowy figure of a Sailorsenshi appeared.

Lighting parted the sky as she reached the top of the staircase. The darkness that had blanketed the area slowly began to lift, the shadows receded from around the figure who stood before the Sailorsenshi. The light which came from the Garnet Orb faded as the normal light returned.

A fair-skinned girl was tense, and stood in an almost pensive manor, and was only perhaps nineteen or twenty in age. Her skin was an inhuman shade of cream, which reflected off what little light was in the area and gave her an almost cadaver appearance. Of course, said appearance wasn't helped any due to the massive amount of scarring upon the poor girl's body. Almost every inch of her arms, legs and torso were covered with many scars, fresh cuts, infected areas and even some stitches here and there…and a piece of scabbing that appeared as if her skin had been ripped clean off.  
Yet, at the same time, this figure also had the appearance of a Sailorsenshi. Her long royal purple hair was pulled up into a high pony-tail, its wavy tresses hung down to her shoulder blades. Her bangs were brushed delicately aside and framed her face, with some hair hanging down over her shoulders and ended at her bust. The royal purple color of her hair faded down into black at the tips, however, the face of this woman was not normal. Her eyes were completely black and including the parts that were normally white and it gave her a unearthly, hollowed look to her face. In addition, a black star was upon her forehead, with a burning purple symbol of Saturn resting above it. Was this the Shadow of Silence they had heard about?

To the appearance of her Sailorsenshi form, she wore the usual collar given to each of them. It was, however, heavily torn along the outer edge and was divided in half. The half-closest to her neck was black, while the outer edge was a deep color of violet. Her bodice, however, was far from normal. It was more like a suit of plate mail, layered up upon one another. The dark metal accented her breasts, with purple curled around them halfway, then came down with three more sheets and came to a v above her navel. At her shoulders were translucent black flowery sleeves, similar to the outfit Sailorsaturn once wore. In addition to the metal bodice she wore, silver ribbons criss-crossed over her abdomen twice, with a singular one wrapping around her hips. From this last ribbon hung strips of silken looking cloth, which had a flower petal like appearance to them and hung down halfway to her knees, being of a dark violet color which faded into black at the very tips. A black ribbon whipped out from around her back, the tin trains hung down to her ankles and being heavily torn along one side. Black gloves were worn up to her elbows, also being heavily torn along the edges, but only covered her thumb and index finger. Over the gloves were dark silver arm bracers, which went between her elbow and her wrist, with a thin line of purple an inch from the top and bottom. Strange runic script was etched along the top and bottom of the bracers, of which the script glowed an eerie light. This strange, dark Sailorsenshi wore the same bracers on her legs, between her ankles and knees, and was completely barefoot.

To complete the look of this Dark Senshi, a large pair of deep black, ominous looking angel wings sprouted from her back. Gripped in her left hand rested the long, black and twisted form of a Glaive, it's black wooden shaft extended the height of this small, thin girl, adorned with the same illuminated runic writings. The head of the weapon rested within a crystal lotus flower, and the butt was made of black crystal, which had a wicked twist to the end. The Sailorsenshi stood in half awe, half anger at this strange Sailorsenshi. So many similarities to Sailorsaturn, but also had a powerful and dark aura which surrounded her. Somehow, there seemed to be a sad, empty expression upon her face.

For a long while, no one said anything or dared to move. As the wind raged and the thunder rolled in the distance, it was the only sound which filled their ears. Who was this strange Sailorsenshi? Was she the Shadow of Silence? Or maybe…even the Angel of Death?

As her hands tightened around the silvery shaft of her Glaive, Sailorsaturn narrowed her cold, dark eyes at the Dark Senshi before them. "Who are you!" She demanded in a dark tone, prepared to lunge to attack upon this…_impostor_. She slowly turned her head to face Sailorsaturn, the mysterious Sailorsenshi stared at her with her empty, emotionless black eyes.

"I…" She said in a deep and dark voice, "…Am the Shadow of Silence, the Mirror of Destruction, the Silent Messiah…" The dark and ominous voice of her echoed across the Shrine, sending chills down the spines of the Sailorsenshi as she spoke. Each of them grew tense as they listened to her and awaited for her name, "…Darksailorsaturn. Blessed be the darkness."

"That voice…!" Sailormars gasped, her defensive position became more tense, "That's the voice from my dream…!" Prepared to land an attack upon this Sailorsenshi, Darksailorsaturn, Sailorsaturn stopped them as she held her Glaive to the side, which halted them from their attack. The anger was apparent within her eyes, which swirled with the rage that she felt for this shadow, this impostor. This would be her battle.

"I am the guide to death, Sailorsaturn!" The small girl yelled, as she swung her Glaive into a ready position, "I do not understand why you are here or how you can exist. I do know one thing, and that is you should not exist, and I will rectify that by destroying you." She then narrowed her violet eyes, the small Senshi of Silence leapt from the ground, swinging her deadly pole arm around and brought it down upon her shadow, violet energy swirled around the blade. As she swiftly jumped aside, the Shadow of Saturn leaped up into the air just as the Silence Glaive smacked into the place where she stood and released a massive burst of purple energy.

"Sailorsaturn!" Sailormoon yelled, her hands wrapped around the Moon Tier tightly as she took a steep forward to join the battle. As she placed a firm grip upon Sailormoon's shoulder, Sailoruranus narrowed her eyes and held her young leader back.

"There isn't any point to jump in right now," Uranus said in a stern voice, her cloudy blue eyes narrowed at the battle before them, "Doing so would just end up with you getting hurt. This is Saturn's battle."

With an enraged look within her eyes, the small Senshi of Silence leapt from the ground towards her adversary and swung her Glaive out to stab Darksaturn through the abdomen. A loud clang was heard as two blades meet, sparks flew from the friction between the two. It was something to behold when Sailorsaturn became angry, this impostor happening to be within her warpath. Prepared to release a burst of energy from her weapon, Saturn was cut short when Darksailorsaturn hoisted her own Glaive upwards, throwing the smaller Senshi up into the sky. As she spun in the air, Darksaturn shot upward with a mighty beat of her wings, black lighting surged around her weapon.

"Silent Buster…" She whispered softly and threw a massive wave of lighting towards Sailorsaturn. Unable to react in time, the negative energy shot against her violet-clad form and shot her upwards as she let out a pain-filled scream.

"Sailorsaturn!" Moon yelled again, her eyes filled with worry and fear for her fellow Sailorsenshi. Still, she knew Sailoruranus was right…to become involved right now would only result in them getting hurt. What could they do?  
As she continued to shoot upwards towards Saturn, Darksaturn spun her weapon delicately within her left hand and aimed the blade of the weapon towards her light counterpart. She placed her other hand along the shaft of the weapon, Darksaturn sped up and looked as if she was going to gut Sailorsaturn. Saturn came to her senses looked down towards Darksaturn and quickly maneuvered her Glaive in front of her.

"Silence Wall!" She yelled at the last moment, Darksaturn's weapon rammed against the invisible shield of energy, "Why? Why are you impersonating me? Why do you defy all of the laws of Sailorsenshi to try to be something you are not?" She demanded of her dark counterpart, yet only received a blank stare in return, "Why!"

"There is no reason," Darksaturn responded, "I am merely your…shadow…" After she narrowed her eyes, Sailorsaturn called off her barrier and pushed the Dark Glaive aside with her own weapon and allowed herself fall to the ground. As Saturn turned to look up towards the airborne Darksailorsaturn, her light counterpart raised her Silence Glaive above her head.

"Silence Glaive Surprise!" Instead to let the dome of violet energy engulf her, Sailorsaturn threw the sphere of silent energy which still grew up towards her Shadow, in hopes to trap her in the explosion and severely wound her. That girl would pay dearly after she stole her name! Upon the sphere was hurled up towards her, the Shadow of Silence narrowed her emotionless eyes as she swung her own Glaive out in front of her. Without a word uttered, black lighting crackled around her weapon, Darksaturn swung it around and released a wave of the dark electricity towards the sphere of violet energy which quickly approached her. The two concentrated forms of energies clashed in mid air and erupted in a wonderful blaze of violet and black energy, which lit the sky up with a blazing fury.

Before the light of the explosion could fade, Sailorsaturn had already leaped off of the ground towards her dark counterpart and swung her weapon with mighty force towards the pale woman before her. Nimbly, Darksaturn spun in the air and allowed Sailorsaturn to shoot past her, who swung her leg around and landing a sharp kick to the small Senshi of Silence's back, which sent her down into the ground, a large crater was formed under her body. Without a hesitation, Darksailorsaturn shot down from the sky, her Dark Glaive maneuvered in her hand and pointed the blade down towards Sailorsaturn. Saturn, still stunned from the previous attack to her, managed to roll over on her back, grit her teeth, her eyes narrowed at the figure heading down to her.

"Silence Wall…" She said with bated breath and formed the silent bubble around her. Damn…that last fall really did a number on her. Still, it did not hinder the decent of Darksailorsaturn, her Glaive still drawn to destroy her counterpart. As the blade of her deadly weapon struck against the invisible barrier, black energy met the silent, invisible energy that protected Sailorsaturn. The sound of glass which had begun to break began to echo across the shrine. The Silence Wall had started to break under the stress and the fact that Saturn's mind was not at its best!

"Dead Scream!"  
"Deep Submerge!"

"World Shaking!" It was finally the time to step in to the battle! Sailorsaturn had begun to lose, and if this went on, she could be seriously hurt! The other Three Outer Senshi released their basic attacks towards Darksailorsaturn, their spheres merging together and formed one giant attack. As she looked up from her target, the Shadow Senshi gasped as the attacks rammed into her, which threw her back towards the tree line. Her bare feet scraped against the ground, which left a trail of blood as she skidded across the concrete.

"You'll regret making an enemy with us, Darksailorsaturn!" Uranus yelled, who produced her Space Sword once again, its white blade pulsating with energy. "I don't know what the hell you want, but we're not going to stand idly by as you attack one of our own!"

"I will not allow you to further harm my beloved Princess!" Sailorcapricorn added on and placed her fingers gently against the ground, "Capricorn Seasonal Eclipse!" With her arm raised to the air, Capricorn released a flurry of multi-colored leaves, which entered into the dark clouds and cast down beams of green light towards Darksailorsaturn.

"Space Sword Blaster!" Sailoruranus yelled, crescent beams of golden energy mixed with Sailorcapricorn's attack. It appeared as if their attacks could be combined, though the Senshi of the Wind was still pensive to team up with these Zodiac Senshi.

In the traditional manner, Sailorneptune produced her mirror to join the other attacks, "Submarine Reflection!" In a blaze of aqua, gold and green, the attacks sped towards Darksailorsaturn, prepared to strike her with astounding force. The Shadow of Silence narrowed her empty black eyes as the attacks moved towards her, her Glaive was gently spun between her fingers. The markings that were burned upon the weapon began to pulsate with violet energy as her dark aura grew considerably. Once the three attacks reached her, the marks ceased to pulsate and glowed brightly as she swung her pole arm out and smacked the attacks to the side. As they struck the tree line, they erupted and blew away a great amount of the forest that surrounded the Hikawa Shrine.

"What the…!" Sailoruranus gasped, her eyes wide with shock, "That's impossible!" In haste, Sailormercury quickly called up her visor and drew out her mini super computer and began to analyze the data that came from Darksaturn. Her fingers flew across the small keys and wondered what exactly was going on with this strange Shadow Senshi of Silence.  
"Dark…" Darksailorsaturn whispered and turned her Dark Glaive around so the blade touched the ground. Lighting surged down the shaft of her weapon and entered into the ground. With her wings spread, she leaped from the ground and twisted her Glaive around so the butt faced the ground, "Eruption." Flying down towards the ground, she rammed the butt against it, which caused the ground below the feet of the Sailorsenshi began to rumble, Sailormercury gasping as her computer gave out high readings of negative energy which came from directly bellow them.

"She's going to release the attack from the ground!" She yelped, but it was too late. By the time the warning came out, the ground exploded with dark energy and blew upwards and engulfed the Sailorsenshi within its dark fury. Each one of them gave out a loud scream as the attack was released, unprepared for such a thing to happen.

She landed gently on the now destroyed ground of the Temple, Darksailorsaturn stood in silence as she waited for the dust to clear. Commonly, people did not survive the attack, but she knew better than that. The Sailorsenshi were resilient creatures…they would have survived that, _somehow_.

"Forest…of life…!" The weakened and shaky voice called out through the dust, the dirt and debris blew away as green light bathed the area. Once again, Sailorcapricorn called forth energy from the Earth and healed the Sailorsenshi around her, but at the expense of the Earth. As her attack was released, the ground shuddered and the trees began to wither, their leaves turned brown from exhaustion. As the light cleared, Sailorcapricorn kneeled amongst the group of tired Sailorsenshi and panted from being the channel of energy between the Earth and them. Most likely, she would not be able to use the attack again.

"Sailorcapricorn!" Sailorcancer yelled as she rushed towards her partner and placed her delicate hands on the Irish girl's shoulders. "Are you alright!"

"I-I'll be fine…" Capricorn wheezed as she panted heavily, " …But…the earth cannot spare much more energy…before…it will die indefinitely…"  
"Damnit!" Sailorjupiter yelled as she rose from the massive crater Darksaturn had created, "This is getting nowhere fast!" Mercury quickly called up her visor again to continue analyzing the data that Darksaturn was giving off.

"Try to keep her occupied! I'll try my best to figure her out!"

"Alright! Time for some action!" Sailorlibra shouted as she withdrew her sword, "Blazing…fury!" As she up into the air, Libra drove her sword into the ground as she sent an arch of energy set ablaze towards Darksailorsaturn.

"Holy Sphere!"

"Chronos Typhoon!"

"Fire Soul!" Black energy swirled and merged together with the flame of Sailormars' attack, with Sailorcancer's sphere located in the center of the flame and wind. The light which Libra released with her sword suddenly burst from the ground and mixed together with the oncoming attack. Darksailorsaturn, meanwhile, only narrowed her bottomless eyes.

"Hrmph…" She muttered as the attacks neared her, gracefully jumped off of the ground and arched over the oncoming combination attack, with her wings folded against her back for better aerodynamics. The attack whizzed under her and contacted with the nearby forest, erupted and blew what little remained away, thusly left the shrine pretty much destroyed.

"Damn, she's fast!" Uranus growled between clenched teeth, her fingers coiled tighter around the Space Sword, "But she can't be as fast as I am!" With a somewhat cocky grin, Sailoruranus ran forward and leaped up towards Darksailorsaturn, her sword drawn and ready to land a crushing blow against the Shadow. With a mighty swing, she released several blasts of golden energy towards the darkened Sailorsolider at point blank range, "Space Sword Blaster!" There was no way she could possibly dodge that!

With her hollow black eyes wide, Darksaturn released that she was unable to do anything to counter such a close-ranged attack. She crossed her arms at the wrists and covered her face as she squeezed her eyes closed as the golden attacks rushed forward. Two of the attacks blasted right past her and grazed her bare shoulders and tearing a good hunk of flesh off of her upper arms, which sprayed nearly black-colored blood from her now gaping wounds and exposed a great deal of muscle and even some bone on each side. The two attacks that cut against her arms continued backwards and sliced straight through her delicate wings. With a bone-grinding, terrible sound, it ripped through the solid bone and flesh, the two feathery appendages fell to the ground in a mess of blood, feathers and bone. The final beam of attack struck the arm bracers across Darksaturn's arms and ricocheted off and rebounded straight back to Sailoruranus.

While she had been able to seriously harm Darksaturn and remove her advantage, Uranus did not have time to react as her own attack shot back towards her. Everything happened so fast, and yet somehow, it seemed all to occur in slow motion. The Sailorsenshi watched in horror as the arc of energy shot towards Uranus, straight for her head and upper body. The Senshi of the Sky did not do anything to retaliate, simply allowing herself to be pulled to the ground by gravity, and waited for the end to come.

_ Usagi-chan… _Sailoruranus thought to herself as she closed her eyes, _ ..forgive me…_

Time sped up again as the blade of energy struck the front of Sailoruranus, right between her eyes. It halted for a brief second as it slowly began to tear it's way through her body, the light faded away as it entered through her chest cavity and her skull and ripped through her heart and tore into her lungs, and finally, into her brain. After what must have been a few agonizing seconds, the light finally faded away. Sailoruranus' henshin melted away into her normal cloths as she arched backwards, her eyes wide with shock and pain, tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Blood poured from her open wounds like a faucet as she continued to arch downwards, her head aimed straight for the ground.

As she looked over to Michiru with her cold blue eyes, the look of shock faded into one of sorrow. _ Michi…ru…_ Were Haruka's last thoughts as she slammed hard into the ground.

It was then that they saw what damage had been done. The attack had cut a neat line that started just where Haruka's abdomen began, going all the way up to the top of her head. Her heart was torn to shreds inside of her body and blood freely flowed from the gaping wound, and her lungs and entrails could clearly be seen through the cut. As she hit the ground, blood spurted upwards into the air and stained the ruined ground of the temple red with the life fluid that flowed freely from Haruka's body. More over, her brain had been literally reduced to goo, which oozed out of the back of her head and now covered some of her face as well. Needless to say, it was not a pretty sight.

There was a loud clang as Sailorneptune dropped her mirror. "O-Oh…Oh god…" She whispered with wide eyes, "…H-haruka…Haruka…HARUKA!" She screamed as she ran forward, falling down beside her fallen love and held her mangled, bloody body close to her. As she sobbed into Haruka's chest, Neptune continued to chant her lover's name over and over as if in hopes to bring her back. Sailormoon also stared with wide and shocked eyes. Sailormoon stumbled forward and she rushed over towards the fallen body of her comrade…and possibly, one of the people she looked up to the most.

"No…no…." Moon whispered as she stared down at Haruka, "This…this can't be happening!" Raising her Moon Tier, she called upon the holy power that rested within her, "Moon Healing Escalation!" Silvery light surrounded the form of Haruka, but did nothing. With a chocked sob, Sailormoon repeated the attack, "Moon Healing, Escalation!" Still, nothing, "Moon Healing, ESCALATION!" Nothing. Not a single wound healed. Falling to her knees, the Moon Senshi buried her face in her hands and began to sob uncontrollably. Not another person dead…not another life lost! Not another loved one that Usagi held so dearly to her heart! She…she just couldn't take this anymore…

Darksailorsaturn landed on the ground beside her bloody wings, and imminently took off of it again, arched backwards in an elegant flip that landed her upon the archway marking the entrance to the Hikawa shrine.

"Haruka-papa…" Sailorsaturn whispered as she lowered her glaive. This wasn't right…this couldn't be right! How dare that impostor show up, steal her name, and kill one of Hotaru's foster parents! With a tightened grip upon her deadly weapon, Sailorsaturn snapped her eyes up towards her Shadow. "I will not allow this to go unanswered! You will pay for what you have done this day! By the power of Saturn, I will destroy you!" She leapt off of the ground, the small Senshi of Silence aimed to continue her battle with the Shadow…she had an advantage now! Darksaturn was weakened now and bled quite heavily…she could win!

Sailorpluto also leaped into action as well as she held her Garnet Rod out and called forth the winds of Hades. "Dead Scream…" She whispered as she released the attack, the sphere of mauve energy that rushed towards Darksailorsaturn.

"I won't let Haruka-san's death to be in vain!" Sailormars added in and held her hands together as fire burned within them, "Burning Mandala!" Rings of fire shot out and encircled Sailorpluto's attack as it neared the Shadow.

"You made a big mistake doing that to us, Darksaturn!" Jupiter followed up, "Supreme Thunder!" Likewise, the lighting shot from Sailorjupiter's tiara and struck the oncoming attack, which caused it to crackle with electricity. Sailorsaturn swung her glaive up over her head and the group attack gathered at that point, glowed and gathered together with her mighty weapon. Her own destructive power mixed with the groups, amethyst energy flashed from within the dome, and with a mighty heave, Saturn threw the mass of pure energy towards her Dark Counterpart.

Darksaturn's eyes narrowed and debated what to do as the attack neared her. With a slight wince from her open and wounds that still bled, she crouched down and then sprung upwards. With a great effort, she managed to glide over the oncoming attack and gently landed on top of the arch, the attack arched over the horizon. Damn…she probably couldn't pull that move off again because of her weakened state…but she couldn't just run away _yet_, she had to get the soul of the dead Sailorsenshi lying on the ground first!

Still clung to the dead body of Haruka, Sailorneptune continued to sob loudly against her. This couldn't be real…this couldn't be happening! It was all a dream…it was just some nightmare of hers, and now she would wake up! Wake up within Haruka's warm and loving embrace, to watch Hotaru play in the yard and have tea with Setsuna…this was all just a nightmare! An illusion! She opened her blue eyes, Neptune looked back down to the face of her true love. This was too real to be a dream. It couldn't be a dream…it was real…it was so very real! Now…now she understood how Usagi felt about after loosing Mamoru…

Sailorneptune slowly over to Sailormoon, she noticed how distressed her Princess was. That was right…Haruka and Usagi were very close, even if they did not see one another often. Haruka was, in fact, probably of the most devoted members of the team towards Princess Serenity. It must hurt her, too, but not as greatly as Neptune felt right now in this moment. But, at least the two shared a common bond.

A flash of green was seen out of the corner of Michiru's eye and spotted Sailorcapricorn as she spun around and performed her Seasonal Eclipse attack. Wait…that was it…!

"You…!" Neptune said between her sobs, between clenched teeth, "Y-yo…you can b-b-bring her b-back…can't you…!"

Sailorcapricorn turned towards the forlorn Princess of the Sea. A look of sorrow crossed her pale face and averted her gaze away from the fallen Senshi. "I…I can't…" She said quietly.

"W-wh-why NOT! You did it BEFORE!" Sailorneptune nearly screamed at the Senshi of the Forest. Sailorcapricorn looked over to the withered trees, then down over to Neptune.

"…If I do…" She said in a quiet, sorrowful voice, "…The land will just die, and it won't come back. It will permanently be scorched, and nothing will ever grow in this area again. Not even if the world as we know it is destroyed and new life begins…this place…will always be dead, void of life. I- I can't bring myself to do that, no matter how precious your Prince is to you…"

Sailorneptune stared distraughtly at Sailorcapricorn, before she began to sob loudly again against the dead body of Haruka, her fuku stained heavily with her lovers blood. How could this have happened…? A world…without Haruka…was no world worth living…

By now, Darksailorsaturn had grown desperate. She fired off lighting and blasts of pure darkness from her Glaive left and right, and thusly blew up what little remained of the temple into smoldered ruins. Sailorvenus had been knocked down, and did not appear to be moving. Sailorcancer had tired out and was passed out on the ground, Sailorcapricorn and Libra standing defensively in front of her. Despite being severely wounded, Darksaturn was increasingly frantic, and that only increased her deadliness. She would have to end this soon if she would hope to survive this, or else face punishment if she returned empty handed.

Darksailorsaturn gritted her teeth and leaned her glaive against her shoulder and crossed her hands over her chest. Dark energy began to glow around her body and shot down her arms and entered into her palms. Slowly, she opened her palms, the energy multiplied into grapefruit sized spheres of negative energy. This quickly got the attention of the Sailorsenshi below, each of them prepared to attack or for what the Dark Senshi was planning to do.

"Styx…" The Shadow of Silence whispered quietly, her fingers clenched tightly around the spheres as beams of darkness shone out through her fingers. Quite suddenly, she snapped her hand outwards and released a powerful beam of energy out towards the group and lashed outwards and sliced straight through the ground and towards the tree line, which carved it up and left a nasty deep gash in it's wake.

"Oh my god…!" Sailormercury gasped as she stared at the massive slash through the ground, since she had nearly been cut by that, "Her power is still incredible even in such a weakened state! This is bad…" Another beam of energy arched downwards, aimed directly for Sailorlibra and Sailorcancer who both stood defensively in front of their fallen leader.

"Badbadbad!" Libra yelled as she raised her sword in a defensive position.

"I will not leave Enala's side…!" Sailorcapricorn stated as she stood firm where she was.

"Garnet Ball!" Sailorpluto jumped in front of them in the nick of time and summoned forth an illuminated barrier to protect herself and the others. The beam of energy struck her dome of protection and bounced off and re-directing up towards the sky. "Sailorsaturn! You have to protect Sailormoon! Try to escape from this place!" Without any questions, Sailorsaturn quickly stood before her Princess and her adoptive parent as she raised the Silence Glaive up and formed her wall to protect the others. This was going nowhere fast…

"Sailorneptune! Sailormoon!" Sailorsaturn yelled as one of the beams struck her barrier and caused her to wince, "We have to escape…!"

"Where….where am I?" Haruka slowly opened her eyes to view nothing but blackness before her. "…I'm dead, aren't I? So am I back in the Galaxy Cauldron, where I was born…where I was sent to by Galaxia?" She looked about in the empty blackness, then looked down at her hands. She could see herself, but…this place wasn't familiar. "This doesn't seem like it…if this isn't the Cauldron, where am I?"

"My beloved Princess…" A soft and gentle voice called out through the darkness.

"Who!" Haruka looked around, but saw nothing but darkness, "Where am I?"

"You're lingering within your own soul right now," The voice stated quietly.

"…So I haven't returned to where I was born from yet, have I?"

"No, no you have not…"

"…I See…" Haruka sighed and looked at her hands. _ Michiru…Usagi…I'm sorry…_ "…Who are you?"

"I know you very well, Prince of the Sky. But, you do not know me." Haruka thought for a moment, then gasped.

"…You're…one of those Zodiac, aren't you?" She realized, "…Then you must be Aquarius…"

"You are correct, my dear, beloved Princess," The voice said again. Haruka gasped again when she felt someone's fingers gently touched her cheeks, but could not see them. "I have watched you for many years, and I have longed for the day when I will finally meet you. It seems that Fate has had an ill turn for you…but it is not over yet."

"Wa…what do you mean?" Haruka felt someone's forehead touch hers, and the feeling of a soft, gentle breath against her face.

"Your planet is calling to you. It mourns over the loss of the one born to protect it, born with the powers that come from it," Aquarius continued, "Ouranos is pleased…he sensed that in your last moments, you wished that you could have protected your Princess better, you wished you could have spent more time with her, and more over, about the Goddess of the Sea. You died trying to protect those that you loved…and Ouranos is pleased with that."

"O-Ouranos? What do you mean by that…?" Aquarius laughed gently after Haruka asked that.

"My dear Princess Uranus, there are things that exist even beyond the power of the Sailorsenshi that we cannot see, but…we can feel. We can hear them in our thoughts, in our minds, in our hearts. I can sense the presence of your guardian God, and he believes it is time for you to accept the full powers of your planet…"

"Wha…?"

"Please accept my gift of life to you, my Princess…" Haruka felt someone lightly kissing her, then the entity vanished and the darkness bled away into light.

The dark clouds overhead suddenly lightened considerably, almost glowed a faint color of blue. Rain gently began to fall down as a voice pierced through the darkness and through the explosions.

"Healing Rain…!"

As the rain fell down to the ground, it touched each of the Sailorsenshi's skin and filled them with a warm, calming aura. Each raindrop that touched them entered into their bodies, the light coursed through their systems and restored their vitality, their energy, and also healed their wounds.

However, while they were each healed, Darksailorsaturn was not. She looked around with her hollowed eyes, she questioned what was going on. Most curiously, the purity within the rain shot through her system as well, but not for good. Instead, it cancelled out all of her dark powers and almost shorted out her system, which caused the dark energy in her hands to dissipate completely. It was also very painful to her as well. With a wince, the Shadow looked about to locate who had caused the attack to occur.

"That voice…!" Sailorcapricorn exclaimed as she looked for the source of it, "It's…"

"Sailoraquarius…!" Sailorlibra finished, "But how…she didn't die with us!" Sailorcancer, who had been passed out on the ground, slowly looked up from her position.

"…Aquarius…is here?" She asked as she felt her strength slowly return to her. "But…I would not think that she would have left her post…!"

"Sailoraquarius? Another Zodiac Solider?" Sailorpluto inquired and looked around for the origin of this Sailorsenshi, whom had saved them all. Yet, no others could be seen. Where was she?

Sailormoon had also lifted her head up as she felt her powers returning to her. They had been saved by another Zodiac Senshi, and again they didn't show themselves. Probably also considered their previous history - which didn't still make much sense to Usagi - but still…it wouldn't bring back Haruka. Would it?

Slowly she turned her head around and looked down at the mangled form of her friend. Her blue eyes widened with shock as she stared down at Haruka. "N-eptune!" She yelled as she stood up and backed away.

As Sailorneptune raised her head up from the bloody shoulder of Haruka, she barely regarded Sailormoon, but noticed that Haruka glowed…and gave off insane amounts of energy! She gasped as she let go of Haruka and watched her lover's wounds completely heal as the rain gently fell upon her, a bright and raging blue aura burned around her body. Haruka's eyes suddenly snapped open as the symbol of Uranus appeared upon her forehead. She was alive, and she knew what to do…

"Uranus Heavenly Power, Make UP!" In a blaze of blue and gold energy, Haruka now stood fully upright and between Sailormoon and Sailorneptune, her eyes burned a dark blue color, which brimmed with hate.

The fuku she was now clad in was not of the Eternal style. For one thing, the tiara was no longer present upon her forehead, and instead a glowing Uranus symbol rested upon it. The earrings of an Eternal Senshi had also changed, replaced with golden hoop earrings with a navy blue six-pointed star which hung from it. The chocker had retained a similar style, only was now doubled - a navy blue strip over the top, and a yellow one below it - with a six pointed navy blue star, lined with gold, which rested in the middle of it. The collar had remained the same, however, navy blue with two gold stripes ran through it.

Below was a bodice that had also changed, tied together and laced up the sides with golden string, which ended with a belt identical to the eternal form. Between the two ribbons - the top being navy blue and the bottom being gold - no cloth rested, which exposed Uranus' bare hips, and attached to the center of the belt rested a gold six pointed star. Two long calf length thin ribbons came from the charm, navy blue in color. The skirt now consisted of three layers. The top skirt was more of an over-skirt, composed of navy blue silk and lined with gold around the edges, split down the middle of the fuku and spread out to lie on top of the other two layers. The second layer was fluffy and un-pleated, being yellow in color and edged with lace. The bottom layer was identical to the above one, only white.

The boots had shrunk down to mid-calf and where white in color, which formed an upwards pointed V near the knee, the top of the boot lined with navy blue with a gold six pointed star charm at the top. The boot, however, was quite different then normal boot, as it was split up the front and two sides, which started at the ankle and ended near the top of the boot and exposed the leg a bit as it spread apart, which came together at the top and the bottom. The slits were edged with gold and laced together with navy blue ribbon, and had quite the heel on them.

The bows on the back were double layered as well and consisted of two standard ribbons. The smaller one, under the bigger one, was yellow in color, the other being navy blue. From the large knot in the back came four smaller, thin ribbons sprouted and extended down to her ankles - the outer most were navy blue and the inner ones being yellow. To finish off the bows, a navy blue six pointed star rested at the broach, etched with the symbol of Uranus on it, lined with gold around the edges. A normal bow in yellow came off of that, with two half-sized tails coming from it, ending just past her bust line. The outermost tail was navy blue, and the inner yellow.

Finally, to top it off, the gloves had been completely done away with. In their place rested two golden arm bands - held up at her mid-upper arm - with a thinner one that curled around itself over a thicker one with strange etchings along the top and bottom. Flowing down from these bangles came two navy blue, silken sleeves that ended just above the wrist, with a nice slit on the outer seam for easier movement. The sleeves were edged with gold along the bottom. Below them extended white, lacy sleeves that fell over Uranus' wrists, and completed her fuku.

"Sailoruranus…?" Sailorneptune gasped as she stared up at the newly formed Sailorsenshi. The energy she radiated…it was incredible! What had happened to her…? Sailoruranus briefly glanced down to Neptune and smirked, then quickly turned her attention to Darksailorsaturn.

"Heaven's…" Sailoruranus said as she drew one of her arms upwards, her palm pointed up towards the sky. The clouds that lingered above their heads suddenly flashed a brilliant golden color, Uranus' gaze darkening quickly. "Cry!" She raised her other hand towards her outstretched one, the ground rumbled as piercing light poured down from the sky and rained down towards Sailoruranus, gathering together in her palms in a massive sphere of glowing golden light. The light quickly gathered and in a matter of seconds, Uranus hurled the sphere towards Darksailorsaturn at alarming speeds and with deadly precision. As she hurled the sphere of light, trails of energy trailed off of it and spread in every direction and passed through the Sailorsenshi without any harm to them. The sphere started to give off a screeching noise and gained volume as it neared.

Darksailorsaturn gasped as she saw the sphere hurtled towards her, and did not have any time to react as it struck her. Once the golden sphere struck her body, the shrieking immediately stopped as the sphere shot lighting off in every direction, exploding around her frail form in a brilliant blaze of burning yellow light. A pain filled scream filled the air, the blast radius narrowed and then shot off towards the horizon as she arched over it, and the form of Darksaturn barely seen within its glory ablaze. Within a matter of seconds it had completely vanished into the clouds overhead.

"W-wow…" Was all Sailorvenus could say, summing up the thoughts that the Sailorsenshi present had.

"Uranus…?" Neptune asked again as she looked up towards her suddenly-powerful girlfriend. Sailoruranus panted heavily from the incredible energy output, hunched over slightly.

"I see…" Sailorcancer said quietly, "Aquarius must have channeled the energy of Uranus into her…"

"That makes sense," Libra added on.

"Excuse me…but what do you mean by that?" Sailormercury inquired.

"Well…'s like this," Libra began as she relaxed from her offensive stance now that the threat was gone; "Basically there's a core energy to each planet. As their orbiters, we have the ability to tap into it to give you more power…"

"I see…" Mercury responded. Quite suddenly, Sailoruranus' eyes rolled back in her head as she fell backwards, her fuku melted away into her normal clothing. Sailorneptune gasped and leaped forward and caught Haruka and lowered her back to the ground.

"It looks like it exhausted her…"

"More 'n likely…" Libra sighed, "She's not used to having that raw energy in her body…" Sailormoon fell down to her knees and looked over to Haruka and sighed softly. The battle was over for now…and they had avoided loosing someone, though just barely. It seemed like they were safe for now…

The clouds once again turned dark and stormy, the rain fell gently down again and the wind picked up. Lighting began to part the sky, which caused Sailormoon to flinch slightly. Great, just what they needed, another storm.

"Ugh…the shrine is totaled…" Sailormars grumbled, "I only hope my grandfather got someplace save..."

Applause could be heard from up near the arch which lead up to the shrine, the only thing that remained intact from the previous battle. Attention turned up towards the top of it, towards the figure standing up there. Shadowed by the darkness, their long hair whipped about in the violent wind, their hands outstretched and slowly clapped her hands towards the group. Two blazing eyes gleamed out from the figure, the left being a bright silver and the right being a bright blue. They seemed somehow dark and cold…

"Well well…" A very deep, barely feminine voice spoke from the figure, heavy with a thick Russian accent, "It seems you have won the battle, but the war is far from over…"

Sailorcancer suddenly paled as she looked up at the figure, briefly illuminated by a flash of lighting. "Sailorgemini…!" She gasped breathlessly, Sailorlibra and Sailorcapricorn fell into defensive positions.

"Damnit! Not now!" Sailorlibra growled, "I wish Aquarius had stuck around…!"

"Huh?" Sailorvenus questioned as she looked up at the shadowy figure, "Another Zodiac? Shouldn't we be happy about this?" Venus grew quiet when she noticed how all tense and frightened the other three were, "…She is our ally…Right…?"

"We're all doomed…" Sailorcancer whispered.


	8. Gemini Attacks!

Authors Notes  
_ Thoughts _  
Time Break/Scene Change

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon - Eternal Darkness Episode 8: _Gemini Attacks! Senshi versus Senshi!_**

"Doomed!" Sailormars demanded an answer, her violet eyes snapped up towards the shadowy figure of a Sailorsenshi who stood upon red arch over the entrance way to the Hikawa Shrine. "What do you mean by that! She's a Zodiac, right!"

The Zodiac Senshi each looked grim, their faces tense and their bodies ready to leap into attack at any second. None of them flinched, moved, or dared to speak. Somehow, this…Sailorgemini, as they called her, was a threat, instead of some form of ally.

Lighting streaked across the sky and illuminated the form of the mysterious Sailorsenshi who stood above them. Besides her blazing blue and silver eyes, the remainder of her fuku was also 'split,' and each side had it's own color. Her right side was a dark teal color, almost like the color of the sky before a tornado hits; the other side was a dark storm gray color, the color of the sky during a storm. Needless to say, she had a sort of a fallen look to her, a majority of her fuku was torn and tattered. In fact, her collar was torn so badly that it was barley recognizable as such. A pair of slender, small translucent and torn black sleeves hung from her collar, and the base of her fuku consisted of dark silver plate mail, going down to about mid-hip. Two half-spirals circled slightly under her breasts, almost as if to accent them, and around to the back of her fuku, though it couldn't be told what it looked like in the back because of her mass of hair.

The skirt this Sailorsenshi wore was also heavily torn, and it hung down past her knees. It had the appearance of a towel wrapped around someone's waist, the dark teal side overlapped the storm gray side. From the back of her fuku hung long, tattered black ribbons, which ended at about mid-calf. Her gloves were black and came down to her fingers, and she wore arm bracers on until about two inches from her elbow, to her wrist, and formed a v shape over the top of her hands. The base color of the metal bracers matched which side they were on, while they had decorations in the opposite color. These decorations lined the top and bottom of the bracers, then formed a small line along the center-top of them and finally formed four pointed stars. She also wore tall black mid thigh-high boots, with metal leg bracers - otherwise known as greaves - on top of them. They formed an upwards v shape over her knees, forming protectors, with similar decorations as her gauntlets along the top edge. For the remainder of the metal, the opposite color ran along the top and down the center of the metal bracer, and went along the v shape edge over the top of her boot.

Needless to say, this Sailorsenshi was a sight to behold, and wasn't necessarily nice looking either. Her chunky build, cold stare and position didn't help it either. Her long hair flowed behind her, spiky and unkempt bangs hid most of her face from view. Curiously, her hair had a spectacular gradient to it, faded from silver at the tips of her long bangs, to slate blue at her roots, down to light blue, blue, royal blue, navy blue, and down into black at the very tips of her ankle-length hair. It was the only really feminine thing about her.

Slowly, she raised her hand and brushed some stray hair from her face, "The Chaos of Storms sweeps down upon the land…" She lifted her head up to look at her hand, then snapped it back down and glared darkly at the group before her, "I am the Split Senshi of Storms, Sailorgemini!" She brought her raised hand down, pointed to them with her other hand on her hip, "Prepare to meet thy end!" Lighting struck behind her and blew apart some of the shrine stairs, causing the group to flinch.

"What…?" Sailormoon gasped briefly, "Why does she--" Sailormoon was cut off when lighting streaked through the air and struck Sailorvenus square in the chest, blowing her clear across the ruined shrine, which took her out of commission. The color quickly drained from Sailormoon's skin when she saw the yellow figure wiz by. Oh God…not another battle! Her blue eyes looked up to the form of Sailorgemini, and saw her as lighting crackled around her arms.

As she threw punches forward, Gemini released the charged energy from her arms down towards the group, but did not catch them off guard this time. The lighting struck right where Sailormercury and Sailorlibra once stood, and effectively tore through the ground like a hot knife through butter.

"Damnit!" Sailorjupiter growled, "This just doesn't end!" She wrapped her arms around herself, she began to spin quickly, "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" As she released bursts of green electricity towards Gemini and Jupiter hoped to use her own element against the Senshi of Storms. The nerve of attacking them like that!

Gemini only calmly raised one of her hands as the attack neared her. The green lighting gathered within her palm, instead of striking her, and changed into a blue sphere of electricity. "Fool." Was all the Split Senshi said and threw the sphere of lighting back towards Jupiter. With a gasp, the green-clad Solider was struck and thrown backwards…with her own attack! _Damnit…with my own energy!_ She thought as she collided against a tree in the distance, which caused it to fall down and collapsed beside the tree.

"Kaleidoscope Rainbow Distortion!" The three other Zodiac wasted no time to attack their peer, their aura's merged together and formed a dome of prismatic energy, which engulfed the entire archway in which they had surrounded. Within only a matter of a few seconds, the energy dissipated and the archway was no more. All three fell down to their knees, panting softly.

"…Did they do it?" Mars asked in a tentative voice. Sailorpluto gasped and looked up in the air.

"No! Look…!" She pointed up to the sky where Sailorgemini hovered, the stocky woman raised her hand towards the sky as lighting ripped through the clouds.

"Lighting Fury!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as the lighting rained down upon the entire area, multiple bolts struck in a random fashion below the divided warrior. It didn't appear as though the bolts could be predicted and struck where they did without any control or precision on the part of Sailorgemini. Because of this, the Sailorsenshi had little chance to come out of this unscathed, and did their best to dodge.

Sailorneptune remained still, her body in a protective position over the fainted Haruka. Her face store intently down at her lover, gently shaking her in hopes to awaken her.

"Haruka…please…wake up!" Neptune begged and burried her face within Haruka's shoulder, "We need you…we need your new power!" A lightning bolt rained down from Gemini's attack, which struck the fair Senshi of the Sea and caused her to scream in anguish as lightning coursed through her body, and entered into the soft flesh of Haruka. This caused her to awaken, her scream joined in with that of her destined love. It was less then a second when the energy died down, which left both parties sizzling and passed out against one another, and most likely would need serious medical help.

Several more bolts rained down and struck Sailormercury and Sailorcancer, both of which were too slow to counter the fast bolts and too collapsed on the group in heap, their bodies sizzling from the high voltage. Everyone who had been attacked with Sailorgemini's fierce power would need help soon…or risk to lose all they had fought for - and so much more then that…

After what seemed like an eternity - though it only lasted about five seconds - the attack died down and Gemini landed on the ground within the center of her destruction. Sailormoon collapsed onto the ground, her eyes looked up towards Gemini. As she watched the Zodiac Senshi, Sailormoon recalled the previous battle against Darksailorsaturn. In comparison, Sailorgemini had managed to do much more damage in less time then it did for the other Dark Senshi. More over, if those who got struck didn't get help soon….they would, they would…! No! She didn't want to think about it! Sailormoon's eyes began to water as she realized that her friends could die right now, before her eyes, all because of Sailorsenshi! How could other Sailorsenshi be so cruel, so evil…?

"…Why…?" Sailormoon asked in a shaky voice, "Why are you doing this…?" Sailorgemini looked down towards her with a cold gaze.

"All things that live, die," She said, her voice dark, "I am helping you along that path!" Sailormoon's eyes widened in terror as she watched the bitter Sailorsenshi before her slowly raise her arm towards the sky. Without an uttered word, the sky turned from a dark storm gray color, to that of dark teal. Everything suddenly went deathly quiet and still, only to start up again as the clouds began to swirl around each other. The wind picked up again and began to swirl around together, the sky grew dark and the area turned bitterly cold. It did not take long for the Senshi to recognize what formed above their heads…

"Double Twister!" Sailorgemini yelled who leaped up into the air and threw her arm downwards as two tornados began to rush down towards the group.

"Oh God…!" Sailormoon gasped with wide and frightened eyes, her entire body frozen in place. The power of a tornado…two of them, were going to hit! They couldn't do anything to defend themselves from it, and could easily end up getting killed! Not only that, but it could destroy a good portion of Tokyo as well and could end many other lives!

"Damnit…!" Sailorlibra yelled over the noise as she dug her blade into the ground. Sailorcapricorn rushed over to the fallen Cancer, and held her body in a protective manor. What could be done…? "This is it…!" The tall Senshi of Justice hissed between clenched teeth. Was this the end of it all?

Sailorpluto closed her eyes, who made a silent decision in her mind. There was one choice. She had to do it…Silently, she raised the Garnet Rod above her head and opened her eyes and lifted them up towards the impending doom above their heads.

"Time Stop!" She called out, the entire area went gray as everything froze in place. The only color came from Pluto herself, the Garnet Orb glowed a bright color of red, which illuminating the area for her. Unable to move herself, Pluto lifted her eyes towards the Tornados. It was the only choice. The only option that she had, or risk the deaths of her fellow Sailorsenshi, and others in Tokyo itself. Of what could happen when they are gone and what the Deathbusters would do to the Planet…nay, the Galaxy. One life to save many more. That was the cost she would have to pay, and had the will in which to make it.

Already, Sailorpluto's body was began to give out. Sweat rolled down her face as she gritted her teeth and moved a fraction of an inch as she raised her Garnet Rod only slightly higher then her head. "Dark Dome, Close…" She muttered between clenched teeth, the pearly gates of time forming above her rod, just below where the tornados would hit. It was all she could do, and it would be enough to save them…for now.

Time returned to normal. The twin twisters swirled into the open Time Gates, their entirety was getting sucked through the opening and into another time, place, dimension. Anywhere that wasn't there, right at that moment. The Sailorsenshi watched in awe as the attack was drawn in, and finally, the doors swung closed and sealed forever, saving them from the fury of Sailorgemini's attack. The Time Gate melted away from view.

It was then that Sailorpluto collapsed to the ground. The attention of the Sailorsenshi immediately turned towards her. Sailormoon's eyes turned cold as she saw the form of her friend, her guardian, as she laid there motionless, her lungs would never draw breath again.

"Oh god…oh god no…" Sailormoon whispered as she slowly got up and staggered over towards her fallen comrade and collapsed next to her. "Pluto…Pluto…!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, her face buried within the deep green hair of the Guardian of Time. Why was this happening! Why was everyone that she held so dear to her dying! Where was Aquarius when they needed her! Where was the person to help them, to save her! Where…? Sailormoon gasped when she felt the form of Sailorpluto started to dissipate away from under her and then left only a Sailorcrystal which shone with Pluto's light. It was being called back to the Cauldron! This time it was real…! There was no turning back now, no hope, no escape, no helping hand, no great fortune to save her. The blue eyes of Sailormoon watched the black crystal melt away, as it returned from whence it came…God…why…why was all of this happening…? Tears filled her cold eyes as she curled up into a ball on the decimated ground and sobbed loudly. Mamoru…Setsuna…they were both gone, dead! Forever sealed away! Why…why did everyone continue to die! Why did this happen! WHY! Sailormoon screamed loudly and her curled form only tightened, as her will to battle completely disappeared. God…why couldn't she just die now…and be with them again…?

"Feh…" Sailorgemini scoffed, "Foolish woman…killing herself just to save people not worth saving!"

"Setsuna-mama…!" Sailorsaturn fell down to her knees, her Glaive clattering to the ground beside her. "She…she died to save us…!" She too screamed, but instead of sadness, it was one of great anger. Her eyes became so filled with rage that they almost appeared on fire, her head snapped towards Sailorgemini. How dare she…how dare them all! Sailorsaturn rose to her feet, she looked over towards the split solider. "…You…you are the reason why Sailorpluto is dead! Why did you do such a thing!" Gemini scoffed again, then landed on the ground behind the group.

"To live is to die! That is the law of all things…!" Sailorgemini yelled, her glare darkened, "Everything that draws breath will eventually no longer be able to! Every living thing deserves to die…I am only helping by speeding up the cycle of life and death!"

"…How…" Sailormoon whispered from her curled up position, and slowly lifed her head to stare at Gemini with tear-filled eyes, "…How…how can someone…who lives…say such a thing…? Do you know…what it is…to die…?"

"I know well enough!" Gemini hissed. Sailorcapricorn looked over towards her once-fellow Zodiac, and store into her cold and distant eyes.

"Then, you died as well…didn't you?" She asked, "You've been reborn…" The Split Senshi only scoffed.

"…Why do you do this…?" Sailormoon weakly asked, her eyes blurred and hollowed, "It…doesn't make sense…"

"Sailorgemini is a drifter," Sailorlibra informed, "She never had any reason, position or purpose…she constantly roamed the system in search of a purpose to her being, her existence. She became bitter and cold, and destroyed all that lay in her way…" She gritted her teeth, "It's because of her that Venus is plagued by storms…She eventually left the system…"

"Still, that doesn't explain why she has so much hate inside!" Sailormars hissed, her fists clenched, "All I can feel from her is an intense hatred and anger towards everyone and everything…! There isn't a reason for her to be full of such terror and chaos!" Sailorgemini closed her eyes and began to chuckle to herself, "What's so funny about that!" The chuckle within Gemini's chest only continued and quickly turned into roaring laughter. Her mad cackling echoed across the shrine, which sent chills down the spines of all of the Sailorsenshi present. It continued on for several seconds and then abruptly stopped, her eyes snapped open and grew cold.

"Yes!" She smirked, "I hate everything! Everything that exists is destined to be destroyed! Humanity is no exception…it is full of stupidity and bigotry and exists only to die!"

"Why! Why do you say all of these things!" Sailorsaturn yelled.

"Does there have to be a reason?" Gemini's cruel smile only grew, "I will be the one to destroy everything in order to quench this intense hatred I feel for all living things, for all of humanity! _That _is my true purpose, my reason for being!" Sailormoon only continued to watch Sailorgemini with a hollowed gaze, her deep blue eyes gazed into the cold ones of the Senshi of Storms. Such intense hatred…could it be possible to possess such deep loathing for everything? Slowly, she rose up into a seated position, though her eyes did not leave those of Gemini.

"…To destroy…" Sailormoon whispered quietly, "You…I can see into your eyes. Into your mind…you truly…hate everything, don't you…?" Gemini sneered in response, "To live…that is the purpose for all things that have life. All life…every…last one…is precious. Even the most minor of beings have a reason, a life that is precious. To hate everything…that is to _die _on the inside. You're…nothing on the inside, an empty shell filled with hatred and fear. A thirst to kill and destroy…" Gemini chuckled again at the words Sailormoon spoke to her. So true…

"You're right," She smirked slowly, "I AM dead inside! And because of it, I will destroy you all!" With a mighty cackle, she threw her fists forward and began to release bolts of electricity towards the group once more. "Only when the deaths of a million people stain my hands will my thirst be satisfied!" Lighting streaked through the air and blasted away at what little remained of the Hikawa Shrine and tore through the ground and prepared to give the Sailorsenshi a run for their money. However, the lighting wasn't thrown in the same random fashion as Gemini had released it before…it was aimed specifically at someone!

Sailorsaturn's reflexes were quick and swift as she slid in front of the defenseless Sailormoon, still curled up on the ground, her face stared into those cold, dark eyes of Sailorgemini. Since she never had the time to raise a proper barrier, Saturn braced herself for the incoming impact. Lighting struck the not-fully-constructed Silence Wall around her, the energy rippled through the dome and shattered it like glass, the attack slowing down only slightly from the resistance. Right on course, the lighting smashed against Sailorsaturn's chest, the small girl gave out a cry of pain as it shot her across the shrine, and flew clear over the shattered concrete before she fell against it and bounced a few times, and finally stopped, lying in a heap. Saturn managed to give out a groan before she passed out…another one who would need help soon, or else face the ultimate end.

Sailormoon flinched as the purple-clad form of Sailorsaturn whizzed by. Someone else who was going to die to defend her…to defend them. The courage in Sailormoon had begun to slowly build up…only to fall down again when she heard the cry of Saturn. Strength…she had to have strength…just like everyone she loved so dearly.

Slowly, Sailormoon pushed herself off of the ground, her fingers delicately encircling the Moon Tier. Her deep, sorrowful eyes continued to look right into the cold, dark ones of Sailorgemini. For an instant, their eyes meet. As Gemini looked into those hollowed pools of blue, she wavered, just for an instant. Those cold eyes changed into somewhat scared, fearful eyes, though quickly changed back as Gemini glared at Sailormoon and took a steep backwards.

"W-wha…what're you staring at!" Sailorgemini demanded, in a defensive position. Sailormoon continued to stare, her gaze clearly making Gemini uncomfortable. "What is it! Stop it!" About to throw another lighting bolt at Sailormoon, the blonde girl spoke.

"…You're not as bad as you make yourself out to be…" Sailormoon's voice was quiet as she spoke, which caused a confused expression to come to Gemini's face, "I…saw it. You were…scared, lonely…afraid." The confused expression on Sailorgemini's face twisted, which caused to show a range of emotions…confusion, anger…fear. The Split Senshi took another step back away from Sailormoon, "…I know…how it feels. To be afraid, to feel alone. But…it's alright now. You're here…and we're here. We're all Sailorsenshi…right?" Gaining confidence in her posture as well as her pose, Moon stepped towards Gemini, the other Senshi taking another step back, "Lets just…try to forget about this. To get help for the others…and fight together…as allies; as friends."

The array of emotions on Sailorgemini's face quickly changed into that of fear, her eyes wide with shock as she continued to stare at Sailormoon. Those eyes! Those deeply sorrowful eyes, filling her with this intense fear inside of her stomach! It wasn't like the fear of being defeated, or of death…but of being cared for! Of being loved for what this dark creature really was! It terrified Gemini that someone could have such _compassion_ for someone who attacked and defeated her friends! How could someone care so much, despite that she had appeared to be sad on the outside? She snapped her eyes closed, Gemini let out a scream of anger as she gripped her head with her fits, then twisted slightly.

"Stop it!" She screamed, as she tried to turn away from Sailormoon, but found it increasingly difficult to face away from her, "Stop staring at me like that! Stop treating me like I'm able to be saved by your _love!_" With another scream of rage, Sailorgemini pulled her fists back so they were near her hips. "Gemini Split Storm!" Lighting charged around one of her fists, coupled with energy which swirled and encircled her forearm. With a thrust, she punched forward, Gemini released the torrent of energy directly towards Sailormoon, then punched with the other arm, which followed that with a mirrored attack behind the one she already released.

"Sailormoon!" Sailormars gasped.

"Princess!" Sailorlibra also shouted, the two making a b-line towards their unmoving leader. She took a nosedive into Sailormoon, tackled her, and Sailormars skidded across the ground with her, while Libra stood in front of the attacks, her sword glowing with energy.

"Libra Scale Clash!" She yelled and swung her sword forward, a burst of golden light escaped from it's metal blade, the energy managed to pierce through one of Gemini's attacks and dispersed it. The other attack managed to dissipate the golden scale of light, and soon it was upon Libra. With the reflexes of lighting, Sailorlibra only barely managed to slide to the ground, the lighting whizzed past her head and singed her hair. "God, that was close! If I had my buns up like they used to be, I would be on fire!" As she looked up from her spot on the ground, Sailormars glanced down to Sailormoon.

"Usagi…are you alright?" She asked her dazed leader. Sailormoon only weakly nodded her head. "Good! We need to find a way to defeat Gemini! If we don't hurry, the others--"

"Don't even say it…" Sailormoon responded in a cold tone as she sat up from her position.

"Everyone!" Sailorcapricorn shouted as she rose from her position over the fallen Sailorcancer, "We must combine our attacks if we are to have any hope of defeating Sailorgemini!" The Cold Senshi of Storms only smirked and chuckled darkly.

"I doubt any of you remaining will have the strength to defeat me!" Apparently, Gemini had regained her composure, once those sad and empty eyes had left her form, "Lighting--"

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Capricorn Seasonal Eclipse!"

"Blazing Fury!"

"--Fury!"

While the attacks of the Sol Senshi merged together in a chaotic vortex of green and yellow light, which surrounded a bolt of fire, Sailorgemini released one huge, powerful bolt of lighting from her hands towards the others; apparently, she had control over the form of her attack, as the two sides' powers rushed towards one another. The two forms clashed in mid air and released a flurry of light, fire and lighting in all directions and left the ground singed below where the attacks had met.

"Damnit!" Sailorlibra yelled as she pulled her sword from the ground, "Even that wasn't enough!" Her head snapped towards Sailormoon, "Princess! You need to attack with us if we have any hopes of defeating Gemini!"

Moon stared blankly at the Tier in her hands, her eyes slowly ran up the white, semi-transparent shaft, up towards the scepter-like top. Her Moon Tier. The weapon that had aided in the defeat of Galaxia and Chaos. Somehow, she couldn't lift it against another Sailorsenshi. Not again. Not what had after happened in Zero Star Sagittarius. Not when, unlike the others whom she had killed, who had no emotion but anger and hate. Sailorgemini…she wasn't an Animamate. She wasn't what Sailorgalaxia did to all of her friends. There was still a small sliver of hope, and that is what caused Sailormoon to hesitate to attack her. Yes, her friends were hurt and needed help…but the part of herself, the part of herself that she thought had died on that night when she found Mamoru dead, wanted to help Sailorgemini. She wanted to bring out that hope and make Gemini a happy woman…like who she must have been long ago. Slowly, Sailormoon closed her eyes and felt fresh tears form in the corners of them.

"I…I can't!" She exclaimed, her voice, for the first time in a long while, was shouting. "I simply can't attack someone who still has hope inside of them! I can't hurt another Sailorsenshi who isn't evil! I can't…and I won't!" Libra glared down at Sailormoon as she grated her teeth, her fingers curling tightly around the handle of her sword.

"You have no idea what Sailorgemini can and will do to us!" She yelled, "She's _insane!_ There's nothing that purity and light can do to save her from her madness! I'm not even entirely sure if the best doctors in the whole God-damn WORLD would be able to fix what's going wrong in her mind!" Sailormoon weakly looked up towards Sailorlibra, with shock and confusion in her eyes as Libra continued, "A lot of things happened to her that I can't even recall! She's always been alone; a drifter! She's always wandered the System in search of answers, answers as to why our Queen didn't assign her a position! And no matter what- no matter WHAT Sailorcancer or Selenity told her, she wouldn't listen! She didn't understand! She didn't understand that she was meant to protect the entire _Solar System_! And because Gemini wouldn't listen, she believed she was an outcast, a reject! Because of that, it slowly ate away at what sanity she had left, until she became THIS!" At this point, Sailorlibra pointed towards Sailorgemini with her left hand, "And now she's gone so far down, so far away from what she was supposed to be that she's _beyond_ saving! You must understand that, Princess! You _have _to fight her…you _have _to kill her, or she'll kill _you_, and everyone else for that matter!" Sailorgemini chuckled as she watched Sailormoon's expression drop into that of hopelessness and depression.

"Heh…the Golden One has an _excellent _point…" She said coolly and confidently folded her arms over her chest, "If you don't kill me, I will surely kill you…and if you don't defeat me, all of your little friends - who are just _barely _hanging on to life - will _die._" Sailormoon flinched at that word, which only boosted Gemini's cocky position, "I'm surprised that they've lived _this _long. But, they are, after all, your precious little Sailorsenshi. Heh…and if you don't have the will to fight, I'll kill you right now!" The three remaining Sailorsenshi stood defensively in front of Sailormoon. Sailorcapricorn turned her head towards Moon and smiled softly.

"Usagi-chan," She said in a quiet voice, "Please…let us distract Sailorgemini. This way, you can escape with the others to get them medical attention." Sailormoon's eyes widened as she stared up at the three, her expression quickly changed into one of fear.

"N-no!" She exclaimed as she slowly rose to her knees, "You'll all be _killed_ if you stay! I can't let that happen!"

"Better us then all of them," Sailorlibra responded coolly, her eyes trained on Gemini.

"Usagi, you know full well that we're willing to _die _for you…and if it is what it takes for you to survive, then we'll do it willingly," Sailormars was also calm about the situation. All three of them were willing to sacrifice their own lives to save those of their friends, "Besides…if you survive, I'm sure you and Uranus can take Gemini on alone now, right?" Mars flashed a quick smile and a wink towards Sailormoon. The three of them launched off of the ground in a frontal assault towards the Split Senshi of Storms, fully prepared to face the price of their friends lives.

"Stop it!" Sailormoon yelled as she forced her body up to stand on her feet, "Stop it right now!" The three attacking Sailorsenshi stopped in their tracks and turned to face their leader.

"Sailormoon! If we don't do this, everyone will --" Sailormars began.

"I don't care!" Sailormoon clenched her eyes shut, her fingers encircling tightly around the handle of the Moon Tier, "I won't allow _anyone _else to die, including Sailorgemini! She's like us…she's a Sailorsenshi, just like us! Sailorsenshi aren't all bad…they can't possibly be! I have to believe…I have to believe in the light, in the goodness that must exist somewhere within that dark heart of hers." Opening her eyes, Sailormoon looked right into Sailorgemini's, which caused the other Senshi to become uncomfortable again. "I know it…I can feel it. There's something inside of you that yearns to be free…to be accepted, to be loved. It's hiding somewhere within that seemingly endless darkness. I want to believe in that light! The light that I know is in there…I saw it in your eyes. Your plea for help…searching, looking for an answer; for a friend, for someone to console you with your woes and troubles."

A smile formed on Sailormoon's face and parted those lips which frowned what seemed like forever. The smile was true and genuine - but somehow had deep sorrow behind it. Even though she had hope for Sailorgemini, the part of Sailormoon that had died that day still remained that way.

"I know…that my Mother would have never abandoned you," She continued, her eyes ran daggers of pain through Gemini's body, the split Senshi became frightened again and backed up away from the group, "She loved everyone with all of her heart. I know that she would not have left you without something important to do. I believe what Sailorlibra said…if she had not assigned you a specific post…then the whole _system _was to be the point in which you guarded! Queen Selenity loved you, Sailorgemini…whether or not you believe it, but she did…with all of her heart."

Sailorgemini's split eyes widened in both fear and disbelief. Those eyes…those cursed, terribly sad eyes…filled with sorrow, and yet brimmed with hope! How they pierced into her soul and would not allow her to look away! What was it about those eyes…those eyes that the late Queen had! It caused great fear to burn deep within Gemini's heart that someone might actually care for her…that someone believed in her! It terrified her to no end…

"N-No…!" Sailorgemini screamed as she continued to move backwards away from the group and lifted her hands to grip at her head, her body hunched over, "No! I don't believe you! You can't possibly know what she thought! You didn't even know I EXISTED! STOP IT!" Gemini let out a scream of anguish. Despite how hard she tried, she could not pull her eyes away from Sailormoon. Sailormoon slowly walked past the Sailorsenshi who remained and towards Gemini and dropped the Tier on the ground and opened her arms towards the Divided Senshi. The sad smile on her face remained, her gesture calm and welcomed Sailorgemini into that warmth.

"Please…" Sailormoon's voice was warm and calm, "Let us help you, Sailorgemini. I know, you must have had a hard life…but, we can help you rectify that. I'm sure my Mother would want you to be at ease…" Strange, how suddenly confronting this confused Sailorsenshi, Sailormoon's courage had returned, "…And I want you to feel loved." Her smile only grew.

Sailorgemini let out a growl, though it was more of a growl of discomfort then of anger. Those eyes…! Why couldn't she look away! "S-stop it!" She screamed as Sailormoon began to walk towards her, as Gemini walked backwards, "Ho-How could you know what I possibly feel! Stop staring at me! STOP LOOKING AT ME!" It was clear that Sailorgemini was frightened, by these new emotions and by what Sailormoon did and said. Her body visibly shook at this point, almost to the point of her legs to give way under her. If one looked closely… they would notice that Gemini's eyes had changed color. Instead of one being blue, the other silver, the two colors began to bleed together. The colors fluctuated and shifted between various colors. It almost looked like they would merge together to form an all new color, both the same, until Sailormoon took another steep towards Gemini and held her hand out towards her.

With a scream, Sailorgemini's eyes snapped back to their original form as she abruptly turned and fled the scene, as she vanished into the forests in a hurry. Sailormoon slowly lowered her outreached hand dropped to her side and sighed. At least, she was gone…for now.

"Incredible…" Sailorlibra said breathlessly, shocked at what had happened, "I've never seen anyone get through Gemini like that before…"

"Now's not the time!" Sailormars yelled as she moved towards one of the fallen Sailorsenshi, "We have to get everyone help soon, or else...they'll…"

"Moon Healing, Escalation!" Sailormoon said in an almost musical tone as she lifted her hands towards the sky as she said the words. Without even the use of her Tier, white light filled the area and basked it in a radiant glow of heavenly light. The light blurred out the vision of those who were still conscious, though it only lasted for a few seconds. Once the light faded away, Sailorcapricorn gasped.

"The trees--!" She gasped as she looked at their lush, green foliage, "Somehow, she returned the energy back into the Earth!" All of the damage that her healing ability had done to the vitality of the forest had been restored! What power…she had no idea that Sailormoon could channel such a great amount of healing energy…Mars gasped as Sailormercury, whom she knelt by, groaned and opened her eyes.

"…What happened…?" Mercury groaned and raised a hand to her forehead.

"Sailormercury!" Sailormars gasped as she held her friend lightly, "You're okay!"

"Yes, I'm fine…a little tired, but I'll survive…"

"Thank God!" Sailorlibra grinned as she flopped onto the ground, exhausted from the previous two battles, "It looks like everyone is alright!" As Sailorcancer slowly sat up from her position on the ground, she gasped and quickly rolled into her hands and knees and pushed herself up and rushed over to Sailormoon, who had reverted to her civilian form.

"Princess!" Sailorcancer gasped as she fell by her side and carefully scooped the girl up into her arms, "Princess, are you alright?" Usagi did not respond, though she was still quite alive. With a sigh of relief, Sailorcancer gently stroked the blonde's hair, "Thank goodness…she's just unconscious." Usagi, whom was, at first, in a state of complete sleep, suddenly allowed her mouth to drop open. A loud snore escaped from her throat and a bit of drool rolled down from the corner of her wide-open mouth. Sailorcancer sighed as she shook her head, "At least that's a sign that she's okay."

"Err…She probably passed out from the amount of power she outputted healing everyone," Libra commented as she flopped against the ground and reclined, "Ugh…I think we all deserve a break after that fight…" She grinned and sat up again, "How about we all go out to get something to eat? We can explain what's going on to all of you then…okay?"

Everyone agreed, and if Usagi was awake, she would have too.

"You disappoint me, _Takulira_," The red-eyed woman adorned in a lab coat hissed, her eyes glared upon the battered from of Darksailorsaturn. From the attack released by Sailoruranus, the Shadow of Silence was torn and beaten, much of her previously-scarred body had been re-opened and bleed freely, as well from a portion of her skin that had been ripped off and sewn back on that was no longer attached. Her already torn fuku was nearly non-existent, the only thing that really remained were the metal pieces - her arm and leg bracers, and her breast plate - and a small hint at what might've been black panties under her skirt. Already, just from a knelt position, dark crimson - nearly black - blood formed a pool under her frail and battered form. Darksaturn panted lightly, her head hung low.

"You nearly had a wonderful soul to claim! You nearly had them as well!" The red-eyed woman continued, "But you allowed one of those Zodiac Senshi to slip past your detection and heal everyone, and power-up the one possessing the Sword Talisman! Because of that, you have failed miserably! Not only that, but _somehow _the other Sailorsenshi that showed up ran off! You could have easily killed them all! But no, you had to be defeated by one. Single. Attack." Darksailorsaturn flinched as the red-eyed woman spoke.

"I-I am sorry, Mistress…" Darksaturn said meekly and bowed her head further. The red-eyed woman growled deeply in the back of her throat, her fists clenched.

"Sorry is not going to cut it this time!" She yelled, the other woman flinched at her words, "You will have no REST tonight! I expect you to be down in the _torture _room in ten minutes! Do you understand me!"

"Y-yes…" Darksailorsaturn responded, her voice quiet as she bowed her head and slowly rose to her feet with a wince. Turning on her heel, quite slowly mind you, Darksaturn began to hobble towards the illuminated exit from the lab-area she was located in.

"And where…" A deep and cool male voice said from beyond the doorway, "…Do you think you are going?" A figure slid into the entrance before Darksailorsaturn as she stopped and stared up at him.

"M-Master…!"

Due to the backlighting behind him, his features could not be made out directly. All that could be made out was his spiked bangs - which stuck out slightly on one of his sides - a broad set of shoulders, and a pair of golden eyes that gleamed in this eerie darkness, as if with an evil power behind their gaze. He was considerably taller then Darksailorsaturn was - about a foot or so. Slowly, he reached a hand out, ever-so-lightly touched the pale cheek of the woman before him. She flinched at his piercingly cold hand, which sent tingles through her entire body as he gently caressed her face.

"Master Pharaoh 90!" The red-eyed woman exclaimed, "Forgive me, Master…but Takulira has failed in her mission--" The tall man's head snapped up, his golden eyes formed into a dark glare that even caused the red-eyed woman to flinch.

"It is not _her _fault that this has happened," He hissed between his teeth, "But rather _yours_. You have been ill-training her! Not only that, but you were observing her fight, were you not?" The red-eyed woman nodded, "Then you should have noticed the other Sailorsenshi! You should have notified her…the mistake lies within YOU, and not Her." He brushed past Darksailorsaturn, the man - the human incarnation of Pharaoh 90 - walked towards Eudail. He stood right in front of her, he lowered down so his face was only inches away from her, his glare darkening. "And I do _not _tolerate failure, _Eudail_. Do not - and I repeat, do NOT - ever make that mistake _again._ Do you understand?" The red-eyed woman meekly nodded. "Good." He then turned around, the man faced Darksailorsaturn again. He walked over to her, he gently placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"Go rest, my dear," He said in smooth tone, the shorter woman nodded her head. He walked back into the hallway, Pharaoh 90 turned to face her again, his golden eyes gleaming brightly. He reached his hand out, took Darksailorsaturn's chin in his hand and store down into those empty eyes, "Come out of hiding, my bride…I cannot wait any longer…" He ran a clawed finger over her lips ever-so-gently, he smirked and abruptly turned then exited down the hallway. The red-eyed woman let out a deep growl and turned to face the rest of the vast lab before her.

"You best follow the Master's orders, Takulira," She hissed, "Go _rest_. But do not think that this will go ignored! Even if _he _does not see the failure, _I _do…" With a deep sigh, Darksailorsaturn exited the room and headed towards her quarters.

It had been two days since the attack of both Darksailorsaturn and Sailorgemini upon the Hikawa Shrine. Thankfully, Rei's Grandfather had managed to escape upon the sight of the Sailorsenshi battle, since he found a safe place to hide for the remainder of the fight. Currently, Rei and her Grandfather resided the Tsukino family while the shrine was being re-constructed.

With their usual meeting place in ruin, the Sailorsenshi debated where they would meet next, and decided that the best place was the house in which Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru lived, in the outskirts of Tokyo.

The entire group was there - well, with the exception of those who had perished - and even the three Zodiac were invited for the meeting. Having shared a battle together somewhat…changed everyone's opinions upon them.

"I still find it hard to believe what's happened," Ami sighed as she gingerly sipped at the tea Michiru had brewed for them, "Between Darksailorsaturn, Sailorgemini and Haruka's new form - and even the history you Zodiac explained to us. It's quite a lot to take in…even now that Sailorpluto is gone…" Hotaru sighed sadly, gently placed her tea on the table as she brought her knees to her chin, resting it against them.

"…I miss her, Setsuna-mama," She said quietly, "Why did she have to die?"

"She died to save us, Hotaru-chan," Michiru said with some remorse, "If she had allowed Sailorgemini's attack to strike, we could have all died…along with many other lives and damages to Tokyo itself. She made a sacrifice to save us all."

"I know, but…" Hotaru's voice trailed off as she slowly closed her eyes, "…It doesn't make it feel any better."

"What's more," Loren added on, "Is that of both Sailorgemini and Sailoraquarius are here…how many more of us have left their posts, or even died, only to be reborn here?"

"Are there any more like Gemini in your group?" Minako asked nervously, "I mean, crazy whack jobs who'll just slaughter us!" Enala shook her head.

"No, not really…" Her voice was reassured, "While some of the others may be…a little strange or eccentric, none of them would do anything to hurt any of you. Well, at least I hope…I don't know what we'll do if Leo and Taurus arrive…" Loren, who sat next to Enala, gently draped her arm over the smaller girl's shoulders and drew her in gently.

"Sailorleo and Sailortaurus?" Makoto asked, leaning back in her chair, "Why do you worry about them?"

"Actually, Taurus isn't a Sailorsenshi," Lizzie remarked, "We don't really know why she isn't and we aren't…something happened when she awakened, but none of us remember, it was so long ago."

"Taurus is a little…reckless," Enala sighed softly as she leaned against Loren, "Her actions are rash and sometimes uncontrollable. She never listened to my orders, and only really regarded Sailorleo. But, Leo doesn't always listen either, so it has me concerned about what they might do if they, too, are here on Earth."

"So, do we have to prepare ourselves for a fight with them, too?" Haruka asked in a cold tone, "Not only do we have to worry about the Deathbusters, but Darksailorsaturn and Sailorgemini as well! Damnit, we've really got some training to do for this!" All eyes suddenly turned to the blonde woman. "…What?"

"Haruka-san," Enala said, "Do you remember what happened before you awoken after you had died? Do you recall anything occurring, being said?" The Senshi of the Wind blinked and scratched her head. The entire memory of what had happened was actually quite foggy - in fact, a lot of the battle with Darksailorsaturn beforehand was pretty much a blank. Apparently, dying somehow erased some of your memories, especially when you were brought back. Haruka stared up at the ceiling and sighed.

"I was in a dark place. I couldn't see anything and I couldn't move," She explained in a mystical tone, "It was almost like I had returned to the Galaxy Cauldron…but it was so dark there. I remember the Cauldron being a beautiful place of light. This was different. I was…a little scared, I guess. Then, I heard a voice. I think it was Sailoraquarius…she spoke to me, and told me that the God of my Planet, Ouranos, was pleased with me for some reason or another. And, through him and her, she gave me a gift. When I woke up again, I felt power surging through me like I'd never felt before! I knew what to do and say, and so I attacked and defeated Darksailorsaturn."

"Yeah, we noticed the power surge coming from you," Rei said as she watched Haruka, "It looked like it exhausted you completely…"

"Yeah…I remember passing out shortly afterwards, and I didn't wake up until everything was over."

"It's as I suspected," Enala closed her eyes and lowered her head, "Sailoraquarius used the power of Uranus to feed power directly into you."

"I remember Lizzie saying something about that!" Makoto exclaimed, "About how each planet has energy in it or something…"

"Yes," Enala continued, "Every planet has a core - and a power within that core. What science cannot explain is what is in the core, powering it. A Star - an extremely powerful Starseed, but different from a Sailorcrystal - rests within each core of the planet. This Star is filled with the energy of the planet, and it is what is used to create a Sailorcrystal for the planet, system, or whatever. There is a way to tap _directly _into this power and feed it into the Sailorcrystal that it created, to give it an incredible amount of power. But, this must be done at the proper time, or else the power will overload the Sailorcrystal. You must be at the right mindset and power level in order to fully accept this power, or else the Sailorcrystal has a chance to become shot and shatter." The other Sailorsenshi grimaced at this proposition.

"S-so what are you saying?" Usagi asked in a tentative, quiet voice.

"If Haruka-san were to use her power again before she is ready to accept it," Enala's tone turned dark as she opened her eyes as she looked over to Haruka, "Her Sailorcrystal will overload and shatter. She will _die_, the real death, never to return to life again." There was a commutative gasp as the shock sunk into them, and silence followed. For what seemed like forever, no one dared move or say anything, only sat in silence, the only sound coming from a large grandfather clock ticking on the opposite end of the sitting room.

Finally, Haruka spoke, her eyes drifting over to Enala, "…So…you're saying that if I use my power again, I'll die?" Enala slowly nodded.

"Yes."

"Why would Aquarius do something like this?" Michiru asked, her gaze darkened at the Zodiac across the room from her, "Is it her intention to kill her Princess?"

"No, Aquarius isn't like that," Lizzie informed, "She's a real timid, quiet girl who's about as loyal as they get when it comes to protecting her Princess. I think it was a decision on her part that it was absolutely required in order to defeat Darksailorsaturn. She took a risk at awakening the sleeping power of Uranus before Haruka was ready to accept it, and she was willing to _make _that risk. Although she keeps to herself, Aquarius is pretty smart…she knew the risks, but she also knew the _bonuses_ to it as well."

"So…I guess I can't fight until I'm 'ready,' right?" Haruka muttered.

"Not necessarily," Loren smiled at Haruka, "Transforming should be no problem. Not only that, but you are indeed skilled with a sword, plus using your basic attack should not strain your power as much. However, you should limit to how much you use even that attack, as even it will be affected by your new power. I would keep it within about four attacks per transformation, and leave the rest to your swordsmanship."

"_Four_? Four World Shaking's and that's _it?_" Haruka protested, her expression going slightly sour.

"Just so you don't risk straining your Starseed," Enala reassured, "We can't tell when you'll be ready to accept this power - but training _alone _won't help you. Legend says that your _heart _will tell you when you are ready, though we can't rely on that alone. Only Aquarius will be able to sense it within you. I'm sure she'll make her appearance when she feels you are truly ready to accept this new power." Usagi sighed deeply and looked over to Haruka with a worried gaze in those blue depths.

"Haruka-san…" She said quietly, the other blonde looking towards her, "…I don't want to risk you dying as well. I…I-I can't loose any of you…not anymore! I won't accept any of you dying again…so please…" She looked pleadingly at Haruka, "Please don't over exert yourself…and try to stay away in battle. I'm sure we can do fine without you…at least, not until you're ready."

As Haruka looked into those eyes, she felt apart of her go soft. Even though she wanted to argue with what Usagi was saying, she found it impossible to refuse that glance and the pleading tone of her voice. Damn, she was such a sucker for her Princess…with a sigh, Haruka folded her arms over her chest and nodded.

"Alright. I won't do anything that'll endanger my life," She admitted, "But, it doesn't mean that I won't do anything to train, to prepare myself for this new power of mine." As she looked over towards the Zodiac, Haruka grinned, "So, what will it take for me to fully accept this new energy inside of me…?"

Lizze, Enala and Loren all looked at one another and silently debated between themselves what to say. Each nodded and Enala looked down to Haruka.

"You must train on three different levels: one of the Body, one of the Mind…and one of the Heart."


	9. Cheering Up Usagi!

_Thoughts_   
Scene Change/Time Break

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Eternal Darkness Episode 9: _Cheering up Usagi! Mayhem at the Fair._**

Slowly, Usagi dragged her feet along the rain-soaked cement as she dragged herself step by antagonizing step towards Juuban Senior School. She half-heartedly held an umbrella over her head, tilted to the side, which allowed a small amount of the downpour to soak her hair and a bit of her shoulder. Ikuko, her mother, had finally convinced the girl that life goes on, and that she must return to school.

_ No,_ Usagi thought as she slowly lifted her baggy, puffy eyes from the ground to look at the figures before her, _ Life doesn't go on. Not without Mamoru… _Although she still felt lost and alone in the world, Usagi managed to push herself out of bed and change into her now-disused seifuku. At least, her friends would make her feel at least a touch better, but not enough to heal the pain that so heavily scarred her heart.

With her eyes down to the wet ground, Usagi followed the path she had been so used to taking. A path that she often rushed down upon, but today, she had been on time - an event which never happened to the scatterbrained girl. Not like she cared about timeliness anymore, just…him. The one she couldn't have anymore, the one she couldn't hold…Usagi had to find every once of the strength that faded so quickly from her to keep from crying. So much was she lost within her own thoughts, that she did not notice that someone was ahead of her, and roughly bumped into them. Normally, Usagi would have flushed and furiously apologized, but instead, she only looked up towards the person she ran into.

"…Ah…excuse me …" Usagi said meekly as she cloudy eyes gazed towards the person, who had slowly turned around.

"It's okay…" Ashi's quiet voice responded, her own murky eyes looked down to Usagi. "Are you still in pain…?"

Usagi store up at Ashi Hotaru with a blank expression upon her face, though inside she felt confused. She did not remember the night the two had met, at least, not very well. She did not know what that girl looked like, but that voice…it sounded familiar, and so did that phrase. It took a few moments for Usagi to realize who she was.

"…Oh…" She said quietly, "You're…that girl about a month ago…in the park…right?" She only received a small nod in response, and it took another moment for the blonde to realize that Ashi was soaking wet, straight to the bone, due to her lack of an umbrella. "Um…aren't you cold?" Ashi slowly looked to her arms, then up to the sky and gained a distant look to her face. She remained silent as she closed her eyes and allowed the rain to fall against her pale skin, as if she was lost in her own thoughts. Usagi silently watched the other girl…so hopeless, lost and alone…so much like she was.

"…I don't mind," Ashi finally responded as she opened her eyes.

"I see…" A soft sigh came from Usagi, "…Do you mind if I walk with you?" Even though she was cold and empty, she did notice that Ashi wore the Juuban uniform. She hadn't seen her around before, but…well, it was a pretty big school. Ashi softly shook her head in response as Usagi lifted her umbrella for the other girl to walk under. It was an act of kindness that the blonde hadn't done in a long while, something that she was so conditioned to before. But, somehow, she felt complied to do something so simple for the other lost girl beside her.

Ashi appeared to be taken aback by the gesture. No one had really treated her with such kindness before - everyone at school thought she was weird, and generally avoided her. But Usagi, despite the pain she felt, showed her an act of kindness. She was not used to such a thing and, hesitantly, she ducked under the protective cover of the umbrella and began to walk with Usagi. Their pace was slow and steady, and completely silent as they walked.

Still, Usagi could not help a small curiosity towards Ashi. Her hazy blue eyes glanced up at the beautiful woman beside her. There was something…different about this girl then what normal people felt like. It wasn't an evil aura, per-say, just…different. It felt odd. She couldn't quite explain it, but, there was some sort of familiarity with it. That feeling did not come from the night they had meet in the park - but from something else. De ja vu, if you will. Not only that, but Usagi wondered what had caused this other woman to become so distant and empty, to prefer to be alone. Something that she would not have understood before Mamoru had died. How someone would _prefer _to be alone, to live in solitude. Now she understood. To be alone was to never suffer the pain of loss. To love and lost is better then to have never loved at all? Nothing but a bunch of bull! Whoever made up that saying obviously hadn't lost the only person that was meant for them before! Usagi couldn't help but feel bitter when she saw other couples now, especially Haruka and Michiru, feeling selfish in her desire to want the same thing, but also justified that she had lost her love, but they still had theirs.

Which brought her back to her original thought: Had Ashi lost anyone important that made her feel that way? Usagi felt as if it wasn't her place to ask such a thing, but the curiosity got the best of her. Her eyes trailed up to the taller girl.

"Say…um…" She paused when she realized she didn't know the girl's name, "What's your name?" Ashi looked down towards her, then back up ahead.

"Ashi Hotaru. And you?"

"Tsukino Usagi…" Usagi responded weakly. Ashi Hotaru? She began to wonder what the kanji was for her name, but then realized that she didn't know _how _to _read _kanji, so she only assumed her parents didn't name her after a body part. "I was…just wondering, Ashi-san…what makes you feel the way you do? Did you…once loose someone you loved?" Ashi abruptly stopped her pace; it took a few seconds for Usagi to realize that she had fallen behind, and she turned to face the other girl, who was now caught in the rain. "Ashi-san?"

Ashi looked down to her feet as Usagi approached her again, using her umbrella to shield her from the rain once more. Usagi could only assume that it meant that Ashi _had _lost someone dear to her.

"…I don't know what it feels like," Ashi responded quietly, "To feel emotion. All I've ever known is sorrow, fear and hate...all I know is that there is cruelty in the world, and that the only way to survive without pain is to isolate yourself from the world. That is what I have done my whole life…out of fear of hurting those I might grow to love, or them hurting me. To live without love is better then to feel the pain of loss…right?"

In that moment, Usagi could not help but to feel pity for this poor girl as they continued on their way to school.

center img src"blobs/moonblob.gif" /center 

"I'm really glad that you could make it to school today, Usagi-chan!" Minako said in a re-assuring voice towards her depressed friend, "Everyone's been missing you. It'll be good for you, too, to get back into the swing of things! Being with your friends will make you feel better, I'm sure!"

"I guess…" Usagi sighed as she sipped on her milk.

"You gotta find a way to cheer up," Makoto added, "Besides, I made you a bentou box for lunch today! That's gotta make you feel better, right?"

"I suppose…" Normally, Usagi would have been thrilled to chow down on Makoto's lunches, but she just felt so empty and drained it didn't even seem worth it to her. Makoto visibly dropped down at the half-hearted response, especially since Usagi barely poked at the box.

"She really is feeling quite depressed…" Ami sighed as she gingerly chewed on her sandwich, "I don't really blame her, but we have to find a way to cheer her up."

"We could try to take her to do something she likes to do," Michiru suggested in a low tone, so as only the other girls could hear her, "Like maybe go to a theme park and treat her to all of the candy she wants. And maybe Haruka can win her a stuffed rabbit."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Haruka folded her arms and gave an approved nod, "I hate to see Odango so depressed, it makes me angry and sad at the same time. Damn that Darksaturn!"

Usagi visibly flinched at the mention of that name. Minako leaned over in her chair and clamped a hand over Haruka's mouth before she could go off on a tangent, and thusly received an angry, muffled response to the gesture.

"Shh!" Minako hissed, "We don't want to upset her anymore then she is!" With a muffled sound that sounded similar to the all-dawning 'ooh…' Haruka realized her mistake and nodded her head. Minako removed her hand from her mouth as Haruka got up and sat down next to Usagi, who now store blankly down at her box lunch.

"I'm sorry, Odango," Haruka apologized and slung a re-assuring arm around Usagi's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze, "I need to be more considerate of your feelings. But, you need to get out of this slump. Once we defeat the Deathbusters, we'll bring him back, okay?" Only a weak nod in response. Haruka sighed, knowing that there was little they could do to make Usagi feel better. They had to do _something _though…

"Hey, guys!" A cheerful, heavily-accented voice said from behind them. The group turned - save for Usagi, who had begun to half-heartedly eat her lunch again - to see Lizzie and Enala behind them. Lizzie wore a bright smile on her face, "Do you mind if we join you guys?"

Haruka, Michiru, Makoto and Minako all glanced at each other with skeptical looks. They had recently figured out that those two where the Zodiac Senshi, and that they were, indeed, aligned with them. They had fought two very hard battles with one another, but there was still a slight taste of distrust between them, even after their assistance after the battle. The two seemed eager to join with them, and well, they had to admit; they were allies. At least, for the time being.

Ami gave a nod to the others and turned back to the duo behind them, "Sure. We could use a little bit more smiling around here."

"Awesome!" Lizzie exclaimed and plopped herself down between Makoto and Ami, and Enala delicately sat down beside Michiru. "I still hope we can be friends, even with all of the grr, arg between us." There was no response from the Sol Senshi, which caused a very awkward silence between the two groups.

"U-um, so anyway…" Makoto coughed, hoping that the diversion would stray them from that pervious question, "We were thinking about taking Usagi to an amusement park! We need to cheer her up, and that's just the thing! Do you guys want to come?"

"Sure!" Lizzie responded cheerfully, "Hey, anything to have a good time, right?"

"Of course," Enala sipped at a small cup of tea she had poured herself - she had brought a thermos with her lunch box - her eyes looked over to Usagi, "I want to do everything I can to make her feel better…right, Usagi?" There was no response, and Enala sighed quietly, "I see. Regardless, I am glad that you're beginning to put your past distrust of us behind you, though I don't blame you for still being hesitant. I would too in the same situation."

"At least we agree on something," Haruka added coldly.

"We agree on more then that," Michiru fired towards Haruka, which caused her partner to flinch slightly, "We agree on the fact that we need to protect our Princess. More over; that we need to find a way to bring her spirits up. Right, everyone?"

"Right!" Makoto, Minako and Lizzie all responded in unison.

"So how about it, Usagi-chan?" Minako said as she leaned towards her leader, "Tomorrow's Saturday! We're going to treat you to an amusement park! We'll bring Rei, and Hotaru-chan, too! And our new friends, Lizzie and Enala!"

"…Thanks, guys," Usagi's voice was quiet and meek, almost as if she didn't feel thankful for their effort, "You…you really shouldn't…"

"We don't have a choice, Usagi-san," Ami smiled, "We hate to see you in this much pain, so we'll do something fun together. To get your mind off of things."

"Right!" Makoto finished, "You'll have tons of fun with us!" Usagi gave only a weak nod in response.

"I'm glad you're going to let us come as well," Enala said with a warm smile, "Oh! That reminds me…can we bring Loren as well?"

"Naturally," Michiru smiled, "She's your friend, and she seems to be rather nice as well. I look forward to our day together, and maybe we can learn something from each other. Right?"

"Right!" Came the cheerful response from the others.

center img src"blobs/venusblob /center 

"Have your wounds healed yet, my dear?" Ashi let out a gasp when she felt strong arms snake around her waist as she stood within her quarters, which gently pulled her against his muscular chest. Her cheeks flushed deeply as she tried to wrench free of his grasp, but found that his hold was firm and tight. Slowly, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, and began to feel herself tremble within his grip.

"N-no…" She said meekly to the man who held her. She felt his breath against her neck, and his teeth gently nipped at the tender flesh of it. Ashi wanted to pull away, to flee from this person she feared so, but did not have the strength nor the will to do so. She didn't have any more will left, it had all be crushed…and with his grip only tightened against her waist, his possessive grip, it would be impossible for her delicate form to free herself from it regardless.

"They will pay for harming your beauty so," His cool breath whispered into her ear, gently taking her earlobe into his mouth. Ashi closed her eyes and tried to fight her uneasiness, her continued to tremble fiercely as he felt his lips gently suck against her earlobe, softly chewing on it. "Why do you shake so, my darling? There is nothing to fear from me…" He said as his hands gently worked their way under her shirt and gently caressed her stomach; his fingers traced along the scars and wounds that adorned her fair skin. She gasped softly, slowly biting down on her lower lip to keep any cries from escaping from them. It was the least she could do, especially when she felt his fingernails trace against an all-too fresh wound along her stomach. Crying out only worsened the pain, so she only flinched in response. "Nothing to fear at all…"

"I-I'm sorry, Master…" Ashi whimpered, her eyes squeezed shut to try and ignore what he was doing to her, "I…I am j-just not used to your touch…" A low chuckle escaped from the man's throat as his fingers gently moved up towards a more delicate region, gently pressing and massing her tender breasts. There was nothing she could do; Ashi was helpless within this man's clutches and any attempts to struggle or break free would only result in more pain. Slowly, his hands continued to kneed the soft mounds of flesh, his teeth once again nipped at her neck ever-so-gently. Ashi found it difficult to keep from uttering a sound, and silenced herself by clenching her teeth down upon her tongue and drawing drops of blood from the muscle. The pain only drew her mind away from what the man did to her, his hands worked their way up from the flesh of her breasts and roughly brushed against her nipples.

"We'll just have to work on that then, my dear," Another chuckle as the man slid his hands from under her shirt and removing it, "And we'll retrieve you more _hoste _so that you can heal. I don't want my precious bride to be …so heavily blemished. Never fear, I will make sure she won't harm you again…"

She may never harm her again…Ashi felt slightly relieved with this fact, even though she knew that regardless of what he said, things would never change. Now, with the addition of her present situation, she began to feel worse off then she was previously…damn…

"It is time for me to claim you once again…" With that, the man pushed her down onto her bed, and Ashi could only close her eyes, and sent out a prayer that this terrible nightmare would be over soon.

center img src"blobs/Star2.gif" /center 

"Lets go ride the ferries wheel, Usagi-chan!" Minako said energetically as she dragged the shorter girl along towards the attraction. It was a beautiful and sunny day outside, a nice break from the heavy rainstorms, and the perfect day to be at the park!

They had already been there for an hour, and just as the clouds had lifted from the skies, the dreary aura that surrounded Usagi had somewhat lifted. Even a small smile had formed across her now-usually blank face. A weak, half-hearted laugh came from her throat as Minako dragged her along.

"Okay, okay…" She sighed, even though her voice was still quiet, "I-I can walk by myself, Minako-chan."

"But I don't want you running off to go sulk somewhere!" Minako protested and tightened her grip around the other girl's hand, her blue eyes sparkled with happiness, "Last time I let you go, you wandered off by yourself and we had to go find you!"

"We're _all _going to stick together," Makoto added and grasped Usagi's other arm and proceeded to drag her along as well.

"Even though we'll need to divide and conquer at the ferries wheel," Ami added. A chuckle resonated from within the group of girls as they made a b-line towards the large wheel before them.

"Usagi gets to be in my car!" Minako chirped merrily, "I got dibs on her!"

"Hey, that's not any fair!" Rei huffed angrily, "Shouldn't _Usagi _decide who she wants to ride with?" A faint smile formed upon the blonde's lips as she laughed weakly, something which she had not done since the day she lost Mamoru. Slowly, Usagi shook her head and looked up towards the sky, her cloudy blue eyes focused for a brief moment and regained their usual shine, before vanishing again. Usagi turned her eyes towards the others and smiled.

"Thanks, guys…" Her smiled faded as she shook her head, "B-but I can--" However, Usagi was nearly knocked right over when someone roughly crashed into her on the causeway. The girl stumbled forward into Minako's arms, and slowly turned around to look at who had run into her.

"Watch where the fuck you're going, _onna!_" Responded the person, a girl, in a gruff tone. A singular blood red eye looked down towards the smaller girl, her right-side of her face completely obscured by messy, rich mahogany hair; while the rest of her hair was swept up onto a pony-tail, located on the left-side of her face, which included the bangs on her left side as well. Multiple piercings adorned her tan ear, and a still-lit cigarette hung loosely from her lips. She dressed in a punk-like manor, with a heavy-set black trench coat over her outfit.

"A-ah…s-sorry…" Usagi apologized and bowed. The girl smirked and gave a 'heh' as she eyed the group, and then proceeded to walk away without another word.

Behind the group of girls, Haruka and Michiru looked to each other, and in a hushed voice, Michiru spoke: "I sense a powerful aura around her…"

"Yes…something strange indeed…" Haruka responded as she watched the girl disappear into the crowd, "…We should keep an eye on her."

"Indeed." With soft nods to each other, the two fell behind the others and followed in the direction in which the girl walked away in.

"So, Usagi-chan!" Minako continued, "Lets get going, yeah?"

center img src"blobs/Aries.gif" /center 

The wind rushed over the top of a building located within the theme park, up above where people could see. A figure crouched over, her hazey, violet eyes observed the group of civilian Senshi below her with a blank stare. The wind swept her deep royal-purple hair over her shoulder as she closed her eyes and sighed.

"…Must I fight them again…?" The soft voice of Ashi Hotaru said through the wind, her eyes opened and looked to the sky as it began to cloud over. Silence was her only response as she observed. There was nothing that could be done; she had to do it, or else-- the possibilities of not doing as _she _said sent chills down the girl's spine. Still, something clawed at the back of her mind…chewing on her conscious and confidence and tormented her. Voices whispered in her ear, as if, someone else was there behind her. And in the girl's mind, someone was.

_"You know you want to kill her, Dark Firefly…"_ The voice purred into the girl's mind, _"I know you thirst for blood…I know your desire to kill and destroy is as strong as mine is! We are the _same, _little girl… you cannot deny it any longer!"_

"No!" Ashi protested and squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head violently, "No! I am not you! I never will be…I can't be! This darkness…it's not me…please, just leave me in _peace_…" In her mind, Ashi could feel the arms of the voice snake around her, even though the only thing that cradled the small girl was the wind.

_"My dear, when will you finally accept this truth?" _The voice chuckled into her ear, _"You are me, as I am you. When you finally accept this truth, then I will be released and we shall become what we were meant to be! Eternal Darkness…!"_

"Stop it!!" Ashi screamed as she grasped the sides of her head, "Stop it!! I am not you, and I never will be…! I won't let you out…not now, not ever…!" To this, the voice only chuckled in response.

_"Oh, Ashi…you will…you will..." _

With that, Ashi slowly lifted her eyes up from where she was located and looked down to the group below, her fists clenched around the gravel of the roof she resided on. As the anger at the darker side of herself began to boil over, her eyes began to darken and film over with an inky blackness…

center img src"blobs/DarkSaturn.gif" /center 

"So, you ran into them?" A calm female voice questioned.

"Yeah, total fuckin' accident, though," Came the voice of the girl that Usagi had run into, "I would've gotten the hell away from 'em normally, but fuck, I wasn't paying any fucking attention to where I was goin', so it just kinda…happened."

"Did the others ask about you?" A nervous, young-sounding girl voice asked.

"Others? Why the hell would they?"

"I-I mean, Cancer-san," The young voice added. The other girl shrugged her shoulders as the sound of a lighter sparking up came from where she stood in the causeway of the park, followed by a long puff of smoke exhaled from the lungs.

"She didn't _say _anything," She said and took another drag from her unhealthy habbit.

"Mm, babe, why do you do that?" A sultry female voice purred softly, "It makes you smell _appalling _when we--"

"Shut the fuck up, Mei!" The bumper-girl hissed, "And don't _touch _me either!"

"Playing hard to get again, love?" The sultry voice cooed in a teasing manor.

"I said, stop it before I rip your fucking hair out of your damn head!"

"I _love _it when you play rough, babe…"

"Hey! Over here!" Chirped a high-pitched, energetic girlish voice from behind the group, "I mean, unless Canny completely _forgot _us - which if she did she's a big poo-poo head! - she surely knew who _you _were, Aky-chan!"

"Don't _call _me that, bitch." Another puff of smoke slowly exhaled from her lungs as she spoke.

"Aww…stop being so mean to me, Aky!" The chipper voice whined, "A-aren't we _friends _and all?"

"_No_," The bumper-girl responded and blew a large cloud of smoke into the chipper-girl's face as she coughed loudly, "And get away from me before I fucking _hurt _you, Hoshi."

To which, the other girl responded with a loud whine and a, "Kuu-san! Aky's being MEAN to me again!" In a low, whiny voice.

"Hoshi-chan, you know Akyjinno-san is very temperamental…" The calm voice said re-assumingly.

"Hey! I am _not_!"

In response, the whiny-chipper girl blew a raspberry at the other girl and promptly hid behind the calm-voiced women. A string of unintelligible curses slipped from the bumper girl's lips, though those who _could _hear her probably would not like to hear what she had to _say _about this 'Hoshi' girl.

"Hey," A deep and serious voice said in the midst of the horsing around the other girls were occupied in, "Aren't we forgetting the point, here?"

"And what damn 'point' is that, Robyn?" The bumper girl hissed.

"You ran into the Princesses, something which we should not do, at least, not yet. You _messed up_, Akyjinno. You should have been able to sense the presence of at _least _your Princess, and yet, you remained oblivious. I - and the others - have been _completely_ aware of their presence and have been keeping a safe distance while we observe them. Not only that, but Cancer, Capricorn and Libra were _also _there, and thusly, they are aware of _your _existence, here, in this world. This could mess up _our _plan and _our _mission because of your _'accident.'_" There was a loud huff of smoke as the bumper-girl, Akyjinno exhaled harshly.

"Hey, you can't tell me what to do--"

"Shh!" The calm-voiced woman hushed, "Hoshi-chan, can you feel her?"

"Mm-hm!" Hoshi responded with an affirmative nod, "And you can sense yours, right?"

"Indeed. They are headed this way. I believe they are on to us…"

"See what you did now?" Robyn muttered.

"Hey, you know damn well I--"

"Look, _Aries,_" Robyn continued, "This is _your _mess, so _you_ clean it up. We can't reveal ourselves now, so you do it."

"What?! There's no way I'll--"

"Robyn-san has a point," The calm voice sighed, "We will leave this problem to you, dear. Please, be careful in what you say. We cannot reveal ourselves now…"

"Says she who powered-up _her _Princess before she was ready!" There was a stunned silence between the group for a few moments at that harsh comment.

"…That isn't your concern," She sighed softly, "It is my problem, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it. So please, Akyjinno-san, handle this. We will continue to observe our Princesses. You will know where to find us, dear."

"…Fine, whatever," Akyjinno muttered angrily and discarded her cigarette over her shoulder, "But, if I get my ass kicked, it'll be on _your _heads! And you _know _those two will be really _pissed off _if you let anything happen to me!"

"Nothing will happen," The calm-voiced women reassured, "But please, be careful…"

"I will. I've been able to hide it _this _long…"

center img src"blobs/Aries.gif" /center 

High up in the carriage of the ferries wheel, Usagi sat in a cab with Minako, Rei, Loren and Enala, while the remainder of the group rode in one below them. While the girls had wondered where Michiru and Haruka went, they just figured the two wanted to go on some ride or do something that the others didn't want to do, so they paid little heed to it.

Usagi sat at the end of the seat, her eyes gazed down to the fair grounds below with a glazed look within their depths. She found her mind had wandered towards darker thoughts, even though the other girls chatted up a storm beside her. These words fell upon deaf ears as the distraught girl began to consider just opening the door and take a step out, and allow gravity to finish up the job. But, in her mind, she knew that any movement she would cause would only grab the attention of the girls beside her and they would stop her. None of them understood. None of them could…

"…So, what do you think, Usagi-san?" Loren inquired and brought the girl back from her dark daze. Usagi smiled weakly and laughed half-heartedly.

"…What was the question again?"

"Usagi! Pay attention!" Rei huffed, "This concerns you too! We need to get you back into the swing of things…"

"Hey, this is a good sign, though!" Minako pointed out with a chipper tone to her voice, "The old Usagi never paid attention unless boys were somehow involved in the conversation!"

"You _do _have a point, Minako…" Rei muttered and eyed Usagi suspiciously, as she expected the girl to suddenly outburst with the usual 'Rei is so MEAN!' tactic. But, much to her dismay - and those of her around her - Usagi only gave a faint smile, then returned her attention back outside of the window. The four other girls looked at each other and released a communicative sigh between them all.

"Usagi, you need to snap out of it!" Rei's voice hissed from behind Usagi's shoulder, "You can't mope around forever!" Usagi, without even bothering to turn around to face the others, let out a deep sigh and spoke quietly.

"…You can't _possibly _understand how I feel…" Even though her voice was low and quiet, but there was a dark tone to it, almost as if it was filled with both sorrow and anger, "Without him, I can't be who I was…my life is _empty _and _meaningless _without him by my side…I just don't _care _anymore…"

"Usagi!!" Minako yelled, "You can't just give up--!"

"Well, I am!"

"Usagi--" Rei started, but was cut off when Enala rose from her seat and walked over to Usagi. The small girl grasped her Princesses hands within her own small ones, and looked at her square in the eye. Usagi found that she couldn't look into those light blue eyes of the girl she never knew - the protector she never thought existed. Those deep, intense eyes, filled with such deep sorrow and pain…but also, determination and strength as well.

"Princess, listen to me," Enala stated, her voice serious as she spoke, "I know how you feel. You may not think it, but I know how you feel, how heartbroken you are, how much it pains you to think of a world and life without Endymion. But I know. You, my Princess, and he, my Prince, are _the _most _important _people to me in this entire _universe_. I love you both more then anything in the world, and I would give up my very _life _just to see you smile…to see that joy you once held in your eyes, to see that light and hope live on, and to see that you both _live._

"When he…died…in the Silver Millennium," At this point, Enala's strong voice wavered as she spoke, and if Usagi looked into her eyes, she would see tears that wielded up within them, "…I was heartbroken. It felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest while it was still beating, and crushed under Beryl's foot. This feeling was increased so much when you took your very life just to be by his side…even in death…" Usagi slowly found her eyes drifted up towards Enala's and looked into them and saw how glossy they had become with tears, "…I…I wanted to do _anything _in my power to protect you. If…if I had been there…I would have laid my life down to protect him. I…I wanted to go to help you, to save you…b-but…I was too late…by the time I arrived…everyone was dead…"

The very thought of the tragedy of the Silver Millennium brought a pang of sorrow into Usagi's cold heart. She didn't want to hear it again…not again! Not after what had happened…! Her hands grew clammy and cold within Enala's warm ones, but still, she did not look away. She could not look away.

"Now, I have failed you…not only once, but _twice _now," Enala continued, "I love you, Princess, and I love him…to see him in that state…to see him torn like that…I…I couldn't think. It felt like everything had collapsed within itself. And yet, even though he is gone and I am responsible for not being able to protect him, I have to deal with it. It is a burden I must carry. I…I can feel when danger surrounds those I love - you, my Princess, and him - and when his heart was taken…I felt mine stop. I knew what had happened…and I was unable to prevent it, to protect him. I carry that weight with me. Carry the fact that I could not save him both times he needed me the most. I am sure you feel the same, Princess, the same way about him…

"Yet I do not give up," The sorrow that was in Enala's voice, suddenly grew strong and determined again, "I wanted to, so many times, to just allow myself to wallow in my sorrow and with the burden of his _life _I carry upon my small, weak shoulders. But I don't. I am not as strong as you, Princess…I am weak and cowardly. I am afraid of many things…you have faced much greater evil and prevailed over it many times before, even when everything was lost and it seemed hopeless to continue. Yet, you persevered. You continued on, fighting, being brave and courageous. You had hope and light within you that things would turn out okay…" Determination began to shine brightly within Enala's pale eyes, her hands tightened around Usagi's and pulled them up to her heart, "Now we need you more then ever. This enemy has already taken far too much to be left alone. You are our _leader -_ our _hope. _Without you, we are nothing! Princess, you need to find that courage again! That hope and light to continue forward, even when all hope is lost! Where is that shining light? Where is that soul of goodness? Where is the one person we depend on to protect us, to convince us that yes, we will find a way! We will find a way to win and to bring back those we love. And, Usagi," A smile formed upon her lips, "That light will help us. It will help us to defeat this enemy. We _will _find a way to bring him back…you've faced far greater trials. You've lost him before, and now, you can't give up…because _we _need you. No…_he _needs you. Do not give up, my Princess, as we will never give up on you."

Only stunned silence followed. Minako and Rei were speechless with Enala's words, as she had said things that only she could say, that she could understand. They suddenly realized that the Zodiac had a strong and special connection to their Princesses that only they could feel and sense…and only Enala would be able to bring Usagi around. The small girl kept her hands firm around her Princesses with a soft smile on her lips.

The words seemed to have touched Usagi's heart. Her mouth hung ajar and her heart pounded within her chest. Those words…those things…somehow, this girl knew what she felt, and what to say. Usagi didn't figure out why, but all that mattered where those words.

She was right. They had been through worse before. Like when Chibi-usa had her soul stolen from her the first time the Deathbusters appeared. It seemed hopeless to try and get it back, and yet, she still persevered. She still tried, she still continued forward with hope that tomorrow _would _come, that the light at the end of the tunnel wasn't a lie. And with Galaxia, when she had killed everyone Usagi held dear to her, she still continued forward, surviving on her own, and smiling with hope that all would be well. Even when she had to fight her own loved ones, she continued. Although on the verge of collapse that time, Usagi still found the strength in her to continue; to keep hope within her heart. This time…it wasn't any different. They…would find a way, wouldn't they? They…they had to…Mamoru would return. And the only way to save him was to fight it, to continue forward even when hope was lost.

Usagi lowered her hand and gently squeezed Enala's hands, and looked up again with a soft smile on her lips. "Thank you," She said, "…Enala-chan…and everyone…I-I'll try my very best…" With a smile, Enala leaned forward and gently kissed the blonde on her brow.

"Thank you, Princess."

"Now there's the Usagi we know and love!" Minako cheered and slung an arm around Usagi's shoulders and gave her a tight hug.

"M-Minako-chan…" Usagi coughed, "I-I can't _breathe!_" With that, Minako laughed and loosened her grip around the other girl's throat. The girls gave a laugh - something that had been rare these past few months - and allowed the laughter to take them over. It felt good to laugh, finally, after all of this time…and even Usagi found her voice to join the others in the bout.

During the laughter, Rei looked to Enala and smiled. The other girl looked at her and their eyes meet briefly. Softly, Rei mouthed the word "Arigato" to the pink-haired one before her, who responded with a smile and a nod. Things were finally looking up now…

center img src"blobs/Cancer.gif" /center 

"Hey, you!" The voice of Haruka echoed from behind the tan-skinned girl who had crashed into Usagi earlier that day. The girl absent-mindedly turned around to face the two elegant woman behind her and grinned, flicking her extinguished cigarette over her shoulder without a care as to where it landed.

"Can I help ya ladies?"

"Indeed you can," Michiru stated as she eyed the girl up and down slowly, taking in every last drop of her aura, "You crashed into our friend earlier, but did not apologize for it. Why did you not do such a thing?" The girl laughed and turned on her heel so she fully faced the duo and put her hands on her hips, leaning over slightly as she eyed them. The stare made Michiru feel somewhat uncomfortable, and somehow ticked Haruka off…it was almost like leering at the 'goods' they both possessed, but it wasn't quite the same thing. "What is it that you're looking at, miss…?" Michiru demanded as the girl laughed and rubbed her nose, standing upright and folding her arms.

"Now really," She said with a broad grin, "What's the _real _reason yer here, _onna_?" The two Outer Senshi looked at each other for a moment with arched eyebrows, then redirected their attention to the girl again.

"Who are you?" Haruka asked in a tense tone as the girl withdrew a cigarette from her pocket, and with it, a shiny metallic-red Zippo lighter, snapping it open and lighting up. She took a long drag from her unhealthy habit and hissed out the cloud of smoke before she responded.

"The names Chinoame Akyjinno," She responded coldly, "What's it to ya?"

"That's…not what I meant," Haruka could, somehow, feel slightly angered by how cool her response was. First, she was direct about what they wanted to talk to her about…now she was avoiding the actual question! What the hell was her deal? "I mean, who are you _really_?"

"Well, fer one thing," The girl tapped a bit of ash onto the ground and took another drag, "I'm a fuckin' chain smoker. I swear like no tomorrow 'n I'm an adoptive kid. Anything else ya'd like to know?"

Okay. Now this was _really _starting to rub Haruka the wrong way. Her eyebrow twitched slightly, and before she could lash out with an angry response, Michiru spoke for her.

"You're avoiding the question here--"

"I ain't," Akyjinno cut Michiru off, "I'm tellin' ya the goddamn truth. What's there to know, eh, _onna_?"

"Hey!" Haruka shouted, "That isn't what we mean! You're just really starting to tick me off…first you're direct, and now you're avoiding what we're trying to say!!"

"And what _is _it you're trying to say?" Akyjinno responded boredly, blowing out a large puff of smoke right in Haruka's face, which caused the taller girl to hack and cough loudly…and get angrier at the girl as well, "From what _I _can tell, you're a little _too _curious for your own damn good. So, why don't you just leave me the fuck alone and go on with your damn day, loves?" The girl smirked and tossed her pony-tail over her shoulders and folded her arms.

"Why, you--!"

"Haruka, this will not solve anything!" Michiru retorted before the blonde could do something foolish, "Akyjinno-san, we both know that you hold a very strange aura about you and--"

However, during their conversation, the trio had failed to notice that the skies had completely blackened again, which was odd, as they were bright and clear just moments ago. None of them noticed until a black bolt of lighting rained down from the sky and struck the farris wheel dead on, the sound of the cracking thunder drawing their attention away from the situation at hand.

"The wheel--!" Haruka exclaimed, "Damnit! The others are on it!"

"You better hurry," Akyjinno said in a dark tone, "Your Princess needs your help, _onna_."

"Wha--?" Haruka turned back to look at Akyjinno, and to her surprise, the girl was no longer in sight, "Where did she…?"

"Haruka! There's no time!"

"Oh, right…let's go!"

center img src"blobs/neptuneblob.gif" /center 

"Huh?" Mikano peered out of the window of her car with a curious expression, "Hey guys…the sky just got completely black! What happened to our sun?"

"...Oh no!" Rei gasped as she shot up to her feet, "I sense an incredibly powerful dark aura over head…and it's building…!"

Without any time to react, the dark clouds parted over-head as a bolt of black lighting ripped through the sky and struck the wheel, arching through the metal and crashing down against the section where the spokes all connected together. Instead of coursing through the metal frame like normal lighting should, it shot out and disbursed, revealing a figure with two massive black angel wings, who slowly rose up against the axel of the wheel. The girls within the car peered downwards towards the figure as the color quickly drained from their skin.

"Oh no…don't tell me that's--" Minako whispered quietly as she store down at the figure, who's head snapped upwards to look directly into their car with those deep, bottomless pits of black eyes.

"Darksailorsaturn!" Enala gasped, "But how did she survive that attack Uranus gave her…?!"

"Guys, we have to…" However, Rei's voice was cut short as they all watched the figure of Darksailorsaturn before them. She rose her hand towards the sky, and by summoning fragments of darkness, called forth her black glaive to rest within her hands. Grasping it firmly, she twisted it around and swung it downwards, casting the metal blade _through _the spoke that held the entire wheel together. Eruptions of darkness ripped through the metal and their vision became tilted. They could only watch in horror and wait for impact as both sides of the ferries wheel began to fall down towards the ground, frantically trying to figure out what to do.

"Oh my god…!" Minako squealed as she tried to think of some way to stop this from happening, "What are we going to do…?!"

"We can't do anything from here…" Enala whispered quietly, her face serious, "Except escape…"

"But what about…all of the people?" Usagi's face was twisted into a look of both horror and fear. Not for her own life, but for those many that plummeted down towards the ground along side them. Her attention, however, turned to Loren, who was the only one who did not panic. Her face was soft and calm, almost…too calm. "…L-loren-san?"

"…The luminescence…it's surging forth like a waterfall…" Came a soft response from the elegant lady. The expression made little to no sense to the rest of the people who presided within the car, least of all Usagi. A puzzled expression crossed her face as she nearly forgot the present danger that they now faced. All she could do was be comforted by that soft smile that Loren wore across her fair lips as her green eyes looked down to the ground below.

Suddenly, the concrete ground began to rumble and shake dramatically, before the earth split open entirely as lush foliage sprung forth from the ground like a waterfall that cascaded upwards. The thick vines wrapped themselves fast to the steel frame that held the wheel's separate cars together and grasped it firmly within place, which stopped it and it's passengers from impending doom below. Usagi store in wonder as she witnessed the feet, and breathed a deep sigh of relief, thankful that all of the passengers were now safe in the hands of…whoever had done that.

"We can thank Sagittarius for her divine intervention," Loren said coolly as her smile only grew. Rei, Usagi and Minako all looked to her with confusion upon their faces. So, the other Zodiac where here, so it seems. "Now that's done…we best be on our way, correct?" She asked the other girls, who all gave affirmative nods in response. Now that they were out of their present danger, they had to focus on one thing - getting rid of Darksaturn.

With no time wasted, the car erupted with a flurry of colors, and in a matter of seconds, five pretty suited soldier's now stood within the confines of the small area. The door burst open as they leapt from the interior, their feet gently landed upon the thick vines that held the ferries wheel up as they began to run down the foliage towards the ground below. As the quintet ran, they were quickly joined by their fellow Sailorsenshi, who were all rather focused upon getting down to the ground and kicking some Shadow Senshi ass.

However, suddenly Sailormoon felt a twinge in the back of her mind. An aura was just off to the distance, and with a flash of white, Sailormoon turned her head softly to the side. She stopped moving as she spotted an unfamiliar Sailorsenshi below, clad in blue and white, who helped the passengers of the farris wheel escape from their carriages and lead them back down. Her long, white hair fell down to the backs of her knees and obscured almost all of her fuku from view. Then, slowly, the Senshi's head lifted up and slowly turned around to look at Sailormoon as if she had felt the Moon Princesses' aura behind her; her deep, blue eyes gazed through a pair of oval-frame glasses and looked into the vibrant ones of Sailormoon. A smile formed upon her lips as she regarded Sailormoon's presence; the smile, itself, seemed to encourage her that everything was going to be alright in the end. Then, just as soon as she looked at Sailormoon, her attention returned to the needs of the civilians as she continued to escort them away from danger.

"Sailormoon, are you alright?" Came the concerned voice of Sailorjupiter as she put a hand lightly on her leader's shoulders, "You stopped all of the sudden." Sailormoon, in turn, looked over to Jupiter and nodded her head slowly.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, I just saw--" However, the words stopped dead in her throat as she looked back around, only to notice the white-haired Sailorsenshi had vanished completely from sight…and from her senses, as well. "--N-never mind, it's nothing…"

_Who…who was that woman?_ She thought to herself as her feet picked up again, running along the vines once more with her fellow Senshi. She had bigger problems to worry about…namely, the process of removing Darksaturn from existence.

"Look, over there!" Sailorvenus exclaimed as she pointed ahead of them, drawing the other heroine's glance back over in front of them. "Who are _they_? I don't recognize them…and it's too hard to see with the sky darkening so much!"

Slowly, Sailormoon's blue eyes turned ahead of the group, straining against the encroaching darkness of the stormy sky that brewed overhead. Although the light faded fast, there was still enough light to make out the action that took place just straight ahead of them. In the distance, the looming and ominous presence of Darksailorsaturn lingered, her black angelic wings beat against the sky to keep her afloat. With the dark skies overhead, and her twisted Glaive within her pale hands, it gave her an almost hollow, fallen-angel appearance, and the very presence of her shadowy aura sent chills up Sailormoon's spine.

However, that therein was not where the action occurred. Her blue eyes fell down towards the ground where she spotted a group of Sailorsenshi - she could only make out their rough outlines, and she even wondered if they really _were _Sailorsenshi or not - who certainly looked like they handled the situation well enough. The most notable one held a short spear within her gloved hands, with extremely long hair that fell down onto the ground behind her. She held the spear towards her sides, as if she was ready to swing it at any moment. Beside her was another one - much shorter, with a long-cape and ribbons, her hair drawn up into high pig-tails - who ran towards her at incredible speeds that could, possibly, even rival that of Haruka. Suddenly, the caped-girl leapt up off of the ground and did a quick twist as the long-haired one swung her spear out, the shorter girl's feet landed on the shaft of the spear and, with one mighty swing, the long-haired woman threw the pig-tailed one high into the sky, aimed straight for Darksailorsaturn.

The Dark Senshi quickly retaliated and used the long reach of her Glaive to an advantage…or, so she thought. As she lashed the Glaive out in a wide swing, the smaller girl nimbly dodged it and allowed her body to move with the momentum of the weapon to flow along with it, and, placing her hands upon the blade, thrust herself forward towards her opponent. Darksaturn quickly retaliated, twisting her weapon within her hand and performed a quick jab at the approaching Senshi who, once again, used the momentum of Darksaturn's own weapon to propel herself forward. Just when she was about to face the Shadow of Silence head-on, she lashed her right arm out and released a stream of stars from a small wand-like weapon, held between her fingers, aimed straight for Darksaturn's face. She, in turn, moved her head to the side and allowed the stream to rip through the empty space behind her, her arms shifting as she squarely smacked her enemy hard in the gut with the shaft of her weapon. The small figure of the caped girl let out a gasp as she plummeted to the ground and crashed against it, creating a very large crater below her body as she groaned loudly.

This small victory Darksailorsaturn held against the petite warrior that attacked her was rather short-lived, as a hail of magically-imbued arrows flew from the ground, aimed right at her advantage - her black wings. The arrows whizzed through the air and tore through the delicate structure as if it was a sheet of thin paper. Blood and feathers rained down from the sky in a storm of crimson and black, and, Darksaturn, unable to keep herself airborne any longer due to the damage, slowly fluttered down to the ground. No sooner did her delicate, bare feet touch the blood-soiled ground below did a very familiar set of attacks form off from the sidelines…

"World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

Two spheres of glowing light - one gold and one aqua - swirled around each other to form one massive sphere of glowing light that shot towards the unsuspecting Darksailorsaturn like a bullet. The attack caught her off guard, and when you include the fact that Uranus had received a major power-up since their last battle, it was certainly enough to do some serious damage to the Shadowed Senshi. Her head only briefly turned to face the attack as it was right on her, her eyes wide with shock, completely unable to defend herself from the glowing sphere. It struck her dead on, right where it would hurt the most; which, quite frankly, was just about everywhere upon her small form. The attacks erupted forth with the combined powers of the Elegant Duo, filled with the rage and fury that they held for this imposter.

The duo stood back-to-back against one another, their arms folded across their chests in the traditional pose they commonly struck when appearing upon the scene. The wind fluttered the beautiful new fuku that Sailoruranus now wore, and as per-say to their usual get up, a soft trail of cherry blossoms followed the wind and surrounded them softly.

"Invented by the new era, I am the Soldier of the Skies, Empyrean Sailoruranus!" Sailoruranus said in a strong and stern voice.

"Also invented by the new era, I am the Soldier of the Seas, Eternal Sailorneptune!" Sailorneptune followed suit with her partner as the two turned their heads slowly to face Darksailorsaturn. The Dark Senshi kneeled against the ground, her already heavily-scarred pale skin was more damaged then it was previously. Burns now covered her skin, and pieces of her fuku had torn away with the fury of the attack. Even as strong as she was, she had still sustained a great deal of damage from the attack. Her hand gripped firmly against her Glaive as she panted heavily, her black eyes fixated upon the duo with a look of anger and contempt within their bottomless pits.

"Okay, that's it!" Chirped the rather perturbed voice of the girl who had been knocked down from Darksaturn, "I've fought your damn fight now, and thanks to it, I think my ribs are broken and other things hurt a lot!" Her figure rose slowly up from where she had fallen as she held her sides and winced greatly. "Can I go _home _now?!"

There was a bit of a stunned silence that followed after that, as people had wondered where, exactly they should look. Sailormoon, herself, found herself torn between observing the girl who just whined a bit, to waiting for Darksaturn's next move. It was a little…well, out of place for some reason, though she could hear a loud groan come from Sailorlibra.

"Here she goes again…" The tall Senshi of Justice muttered as she ran her fingers through her bangs, "Lets get down there and take care of Darksaturn…if you ignore her, she'll shut up."

"Someone you know?" Sailormercury inquired as the group continued to move forward again.

"…I wish I didn't," Libra responded dryly as the group met up with Uranus and Neptune just below. With the little…incident with the pig-tailed girl behind them, they now faced the Shadow of Silence in full force - a full team with the added bonus of Uranus' new form, and the possibility of the other Sailorsenshi present assisting them as well. The Dark Senshi before them rose up to her feet and firmly grasped the dark Glaive within her hands tightly and firmly. Now was the time…now was the time to show her the true power of the Sailorsenshi!

The Sol Senshi came forward and, as if they sensed what one another were thinking, they all moved in a circular formation around Darksailorsaturn. Then, inside of this large circle, the three Zodiac moved into a triangular formation around the shadow warrior between them. They did not hesitate in their actions, which could only signify that they were confident that their Princesses would not harm them.

"Sailor Planet…"

"Kaleidoscope Rainbow…"

"Attack!"

"Distortion!"

In a massive vortex of prismatic fury, the auras of both the Sol Senshi and the three Zodiac present clashed in a massive tidal-wave of energy, and erupted upwards clear into the sky between the eight Sol Senshi. Then, as quickly as the attack had formed, it dissipated into the air as the sky began to clear up once again, the clouds parting and the sun peeked out from behind their dark visages. The Sol Senshi opened their eyes and lowered there hands and looked out at the massive crater they and the Zodiac had just created. All that existed there now where the trio between them, completely unharmed by their Planet Attack…but no Darksaturn in sight. Had that defeat her once and for all…or would she return again, like some sort of pesky cockroach, who just wouldn't die? Only time could say…right?

"Is everyone --" Sailormoon was about to say, when her attention was drawn to Sailoruranus, who collapsed down towards the ground on one knee, panting heavily from exhaustion. "Uranus!" She gasped and rushed towards the Senshi of the Skies, and Neptune followed suit, "Are you alright?!"

"Y-yeah…I'm just…really…e-exhausted a-all of the sudden…" She gasped as her fuku melted away into her civilian clothing, her lungs desperately trying to regain her breath. Evidentially, what Sailorcancer had told them was true - Uranus was easily exhausted due to the fact that her body and her heart were not strong enough to accept the full force of the power of her planet. She still needed a lot of training before she was ready to take on such a powerful attack.

"Maybe we should all go home and relax…" Sailormercury suggested, "We all could use it, especially Haruka-san."

"Sounds like a plan to me…" Sailormoon sighed and allowed herself to change back into Usagi, "I just hope that Darksaturn's gone for good…"

"I think we're all feeling the same thing," Sailormars suggested, "So…how about we meet up tomorrow at the shrine? Grandpa and I could use some help with the repairs, and we can recollect on today. Sound good to you guys?"

"Yeah!" Came the cheerful response from Sailorvenus, "Michiru-san, be sure to let us know about Haruka-san's condition, okay?"

"Of course!" Sailorneptune responded with a soft nod as she helped Haruka up to her feet, "We'll check in with everyone, alright?"

"Great. See you guys tomorrow," Usagi responded with a soft sigh and a wave of her hand.

And, with that, the Sailorsenshi returned to their usual forms, and went to part ways. Hotaru and Michiru assisted Haruka as she regained her strength as they walked off, wanting nothing more then to put her to bed. Of course, everyone was concerned about Haruka, but perhaps Enala and the others could assist with what kind of 'training' she would need to do in the near-future so she could better use her new-found power.

"Do you mind if we join you?" Lizzie inquired as she walked up behind Usagi, who had gone her separate way from the group to head back home. The Ondago-wearing girl looked up at the much taller one, then past her to see Enala as well, who smiled softly at her. Usagi wore a slightly confused expression upon her face, wondering why they wanted to go home with her…where they concerned she'd stray off or mope somewhere in the corner again?

"Why's that?" She asked, though instead of it being a normal question, it somehow came off as being somewhat brash. Still, the pair didn't seem to react badly to the question.

"Well, we do live in your neighborhood," Enala responded with a soft smile, "Oh, and before you ask, we know this because I can sense your presence. It's…something we Zodiac can do. We can always feel our Princesses…feel what they feel, sense if their happy or sad…or if they're in danger. So, I've always known you where there…even if you didn't know that I was there, too." She continued to smile at Usagi, who, in turn, smiled softly back.

Enala…Sailorcancer. There was something about the Zodiac that was different from her other friends. At first, they seemed hesitant to trust, but now…now they were their tried and true allies. They had only distanced themselves from the ones they loved more then anything only because they were never to have meet them in person. Always to watch, always to feel, always to protect. And yet, they had never known about these secret guardians so closely linked to their own hearts. Although the other Zodiac outside of these three were nothing more them enigmas who had assisted them that day, Usagi knew that, in time, they would also grow to trust their Princesses and make their appearance. So far, the only one who was a bit troublesome was that Sailorgemini…who, really, they hadn't seen since that day she attacked the shrine and nearly killed everyone in her wake. But even then, Usagi could tell there was a side of her that felt lost and alone in the world, who only wanted to be loved…that's why she ran off.

Now, confidence was once again in Usagi's heart as she walked with the duo as they talked about things…life, what they liked to do, their days at school…their families and friends. Things that she never really got to do with the two since they were always a little distant, even before they knew that Lizzie and Enala were Sailorlibra and Cancer. Her heart felt at ease now. Even though it was still filled with the pain of Mamoru's death, she now had hope and courage within her breast again. That they would find a way to bring him back. After all…if he died, wouldn't the Earth die, too? And it was still alive, wasn't it? So…everything would be alright. As long as the sun was shining, everything will be alright.

Something caused the hairs on the back of Usagi's neck to stand straight on end. A chilling aura and appeared behind them, which sent shivers done Usagi's spine. She stopped walking, but Enala grasped her hands and started to pull her forward. Usagi looked over towards the shorter girl and wondered why she was doing this kind of a thing - it was unlike her to be so forceful - but only found a look of determination within her pale blue eyes. Lizzie followed suit and grasped Usagi's other hand, as if to urge her to keep on walking.

"Just keep going. Don't look back," Lizzie hissed between her teeth, "Keep moving…"

Usagi could take a wild stab in the dark about who it was, exactly, that was behind them. Never before had she seen those two with such a fierce look of determination within their eyes, never before had they been so protective…except once. And it was faced with her; the Split Senshi of Storms, Sailorgemini. The electricity that seemed to spark through the very air around them; the coldness of her chilling and dark aura that licked softly against Usagi's spine; how the air seemed to get dark and heavy around them. She knew who it was. And yet, she wanted to stop. She wanted to turn around. She wanted to approach Gemini and embrace her as her heart secretly desired to.

Usagi firmly planted her feet into the ground and wrenched her hands free of Enala and Lizzie's grasp and turned around to face the person she knew was behind her. She was not face with Sailorgemini per-say, but those split-colored eyes simply told it all for her.

Although the hair style was the same - except for the fact that her hair was loosely tied back in a pony-tail - Sailorgemini's civilian appearance was a llittle different then her Senshi form…namely the hair color. Instead of that beautiful gradient that it held as a Senshi, it was now a solid color. To the untrained eye, it was black with a shimmer of blue in it, but to anyone who knew color could recognize the fact that it was actually, a very deep and dark shade of midnight blue. Then, if you looked closely, streaks of pure black could be seen throughout the mass of hair that she possessed. She dressed in a very punk-like manor, composed of baggy bondage type pants, a tight-fitting leather tank-top with a baggy jacket with lots of buckles and chains hanging on it over the top. She stood calmly behind the trio with her arms crossed, though that ever-present glare was still there.

"Princess, please, come with us!" Enala urged as she grabbed Usagi's hand again, only to have the blonde pull it free once more.

"No. I want to talk to her," Usagi's voice was strong and determined as she marched away from the two horrified Zodiac's and towards the horrifying Gemini. She stood squarely in front of Gemini and looked up into those cold, split-colored eyes of hers. Fear did not shine within Usagi's blue eyes, only strength and courage, and yes, a little bit of compassion and pity as well. She didn't want to fight, she didn't want to argue…she just wanted to know more about this dark Zodiac. In turn, Gemini slowly folded her arms over her chest and, briefly glanced over towards the duo, then back to Usagi.

"I want to help you," She responded in a somewhat disgruntled tone as she turned her gaze away from all of those present, off towards the side. Usagi couldn't help but to look back at the horrified expressions that Enala and Lizzie both wore - heck, Lizzie's face looked like it had just about fallen right off of her! Enala's expression changed into pure shock as the color drained from her skin. The two faces they both wore brought a soft chuckle to Usagi's throat, something which had become uncommon for her to express ever since…

"Do you want my help or not?" Gemini hissed, which drew Usagi's attention back towards her.

"S-sure!" She exclaimed, "I think…we could use all of the help we could get…right guys?" She looked back at the other Zodiac and smiled, though both of them seemed too shocked to even say _anything_, least of all a response to the question.

"W-what…but…wha…huh?" Was all Lizzie managed to get out. Gemini scoffed and snorted, turning her head away from them.

"…After the battle with you _puny _excuses for Sailorsenshi," She grumbled, "I…encountered someone of a most…_displeasing _nature. If she is your enemy…then you will need all of the goddamn help you can get."

To this simple response, the trio all glanced at each other with a bit of confusion, wondering who the hell Gemini was referring to. Darksailorsaturn? No, that wasn't possible; she was long gone before Gemini appeared. Was it someone who was leading the Deathbusters? It was possible…or…could it possibly be a new enemy all together? And, from the sounds of it, if it was someone that even Gemini had the slightest inkling of fear of, then it was well worth something to be afraid of. Usagi exchanged glances with Enala and Lizzie, who both seemed to say the same things within their eyes. Usagi gave a nod and returned her attention to Gemini.

"Listen, um…" She paused, not really sure of what to address her as.

"Alexis." Came the stark and crude response from Gemini.

"Ah, right, Alexis," Usagi said calmly with a bit of difficulty, "We're going to head up to the shrine - the one you attacked - tomorrow for a meeting…you can explain yourself better there, alright? I want everyone to agree on letting you help us, okay?"

"Hmph. Whatever," Alexis snorted and uncrossed her arms, "I don't need to explain myself. But fine. If they don't want my help, it's _their _funeral." With a casual wave of her hand, she turned on her heel and started walking quickly in the other direction, which left a somewhat unpleasant feeling within Usagi's stomach. Something more was going on here then they knew, she was sure of it…

"Do you think we should trust her like that?" Enala whispered as Usagi walked over towards her and Lizzie, "I mean…she _is _Gemini and she's _never _really joined up with us before…I don't know why she would now…" Usagi gave a slow nod of her head and continued walking with them.

"I don't know if we can…" She said softly, "But…all we can do is _trust _her…"

center img src"blobs/Gemini.gif" /center 


	10. Arcade Mania!

_Thoughts_  
Scene Break/Time change

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Eternal Darkness Episode 10: **_**Arcade**_**_ Mania! Relief At Last._**

**__**

**__**

"So…why is it that you're here, anyway?"

There was a rather tense silence between Sailorsenshi as they stood at Rei's shrine as all of their eyes gazed upon the figure of one woman; the woman who had battled so long and hard against them and would have nearly killed all of them, if it wasn't for Sailormoon's words of kindness. The Split Senshi of Storms, Sailorgemini, stood at the entrance of the shrine with her arms folded across her chest and what appeared to be a perpetual sneer upon her lips. Her split-colored eyes continued to gaze around the group and fell upon each of the other members present. It was incredibly still and quiet, and perhaps, a little too still; but no one dared make a move. They had just barely gotten rid of her before by the skin of their teeth, and they weren't to keen about letting her in their presence again.

"Well?" Haruka asked again, though in a less pleasant voice then before.

"Hmph," Came Alexis' crude voice as she took a slow step forward, which caused the entire group to tense up even more, "I'm here to…_help_ you." She commented in a dry tone, and, much like the expressions that Lizzie and Enala wore when she stated that the prior day, everyone's faces twisted into expressions of both shock and confusion. Still, they weren't entirely sure if they should _trust _her - after all, the Zodiac did mention that she was always a drifter who never had any need for anyone else - but she did say she wanted to help, and she wasn't transformed or acting particularly aggressive at the moment.

"See, guys?" Usagi spoke up as she wore a bit of a forced smile on her face, "She can't be all that bad if she wants to help!"

"Don't misunderstand me," Alexis grumbled, her feet continued to carry her forward towards the group, "I am not your _ally _by any means of the word! I'm only acting because she is _my _enemy too. I would not be able to defeat _her _on my own!"

"The enemy of my enemy, as they say," Ami sighed with a serious tone to her voice, "So you're only helping us to benefit you, correct?"

"Da," The response was gruff and in Alexis' native tongue, so no one really was quite sure what she meant, "Do not expect this to be permanent. But…if _she _is here, she is a far greater enemy then all of _you _combined." As she spoke, the group of girls before her began to wonder who this ever-mysterious 'she' was; "Even I could not deal with a threat that is as dangerous and as real as she is…"

Of course, this was what caught everyone's attention - the fact that someone as incredibly powerful as Sailorgemini was afraid of some mysterious woman who no one was quite sure who she really was. Was it Darksaturn? No, that couldn't be possible; Gemini appeared to be much stronger and in better control over her powers then the Shadow of Silence was. Besides, she wasn't a threat anymore…right? Then again, the thought came to their minds that she _had _managed to survive that incredibly powerful attack Sailoruranus had chucked at her previously, so perhaps she would return again.

Still, curiosity got the best of them. Usagi, since no one else wanted to say anything to this chaotic woman for fear of rather…painful retaliation, piped up in a slightly nervous, if not curious, tone, "So…um…if you don't mind me asking, that is…"

"What?" Alexis snapped in a less-then-pleased tone, which caused the blonde girl to wince slightly.

"Well…ya'see…who _is _this girl you keep talking about…?" An angry snort sounded from the stocky Russian girl as she folded her arms across her chest and tossed her long bangs out of her split-colored eyes, only to have the shaggy tresses fall back into them again. She gave a humph of frustration at this and store down at Usagi.

"Someone which some of you may know _very _well…" As she said this phrase, she eyed the trio of her 'fellow' Zodiac - though she seemed to look at Loren more specifically, which made the red-head become very uncomfortable - "In no doubt _you _would also know her as well." Her attention removed itself from the rather befuddled Loren and looked over to Usagi again, "It is her life's goal to kill _you._"

Usagi was taken aback by this phrase. Although it was nothing new for random people to seek revenge or seek to kill her for various reasons, but it was usually the whole taking-over-the-world thing and the-sailor-senshi-in-general thing. Of course, the dense girl failed to realize that, in fact, _all _of the enemies they had faced prior were, indeed, after her pretty little head, or the Ginzuishou, but usually both. Usagi blinked her blue eyes in shock, in an almost 'me?' manor, then looked to her fellows beside her. They appeared to be tense about the whole thing, but somehow, they didn't seem as surprised as Usagi was. She just figured that they picked up on something that currently wasn't in her brain at the moment, and decided to change her surprised expression to a knowledgeable one…which still looked rather amusing, to say the least.

"Mmhmm, ah, yes, I see," Usagi stated in her best oh-i-am-_so­_-smart tone as she nodded her head, "…So, um…remind me again…who is this we're talking about?"

Alexis looked about ready to storm over and beat the living bejesus out of Usagi at that moment, but somehow controlled the urge to kick the living snot out of her would-be-Princess in light of this whole 'truce' business she wanted to conduct. Yes, after this was all over, _then _she'd take out her aggression on the blonde. Righting herself into a more relaxed pose, she closed her eyes and raised a hand to her forehead and began to rub her temples.

"Slightly tan," Came the description as Alexis pictured the girl in her mind, "This high," She raised her hand up a few inches above her own height, "Black reversed crescent moon on her forehead. Long-ish kind of…gray…brown…hair. Long bangs. Pink eyes. Carries a short staff with an orb on it." After the description, she opened her eyes and looked to the group. Most of them looked rather tense, especially Ami, Enala and Lizzie. They all recalled that figure quite vividly.

"How…how can she be…?" Enala turned around to face Loren and Lizzie beside her, "We used our strongest combo, and she should have been killed!"

"I have no idea…!" Lizzie responded in a frantic tone, "There's no way she could have…she wasn't strong enough to survive, was she?!"

"Wh-…what are they talking about?" Usagi whispered to Ami, who looked rather shocked at this new discovery. She slowly turned to her friend and whispered back to her, though her eyes never left the figure of Alexis before them.

"You remember…when…she nearly killed Loren-san and I in Shin Mugen Gauken…right? She also attacked outside and at our School too…"

Blink. Blink. Usagi's eyes opened and closed several times as Ami waited five seconds before the little factoid had registered within her friend's brain, to which Usagi made the all-dawning 'oh!' sound as it smacked her hard in the face. Of course! That girl who the Trio of Zodiac had taken down…but…if Gemini was here and stated that the cloaked one was a threat, then that meant…

"She's still alive!" Usagi exclaimed as she jumped up to her feet, as if to announce to everyone in the group her newly-discovered revelation. However, she received no response from anyone else as she looked around at their faces and realized that her sudden spur of intelligence had already come to everyone else. She blushed and laughed awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head and sat back down.

"Of course she's alive, you ninny!" Alexis snapped harshly as her relaxed pose quickly changed into a more aggressive one as he held her fist out, as if to punch someone. A faint hint of sparks began to crackle around her fist, and to this aggressive stance, Haruka, Lizzie, Makoto and Minako rose to their feet and quickly moved in a more defensive position in front of Usagi. "Why the hell would I be here if she wasn't?!"

"Hey, cool your jets!" Makoto snapped as she glared at the shorter girl, "We're here to _help _each other, not to fight, right? So calm down!" To this, she received a cold glare from those split-colored eyes, but soon-there-after, Alexis relaxed her pose and sighed angrily, reaching her hand up again to rub her temples once again.

"If you don't want my help, then fine, I'll leave you to your own devices…" She muttered in a rather perturbed tone, as if she didn't really _want _to help these ninnies, but felt as if she needed to do it. Usagi rose up to her feet and, without any further consolidation from the others, she spoke.

"We could use all the help we can get!" She announced, much to the displeasure of several of her friends, "If this girl is as strong as you say she is…and with your strength alone unable to match her…then…we could use you, and you could use us, right? So, it's a truce, then?" With a warm smile, she pushed past the girls who stood in defense and held her hand out towards Alexis. "And hey…maybe though all of this…we can become friends, too!"

Alexis looked down at Usagi's extended hand and scoffed as she folded her arms over her chest and tossed her hair to the side. "Do not misunderstand me…" She hissed darkly, "Although we may be allies for the moment…do not, _ever_, to consider me your _friend_. And do not ever believe that I could _be_ your friend! Past the point of her defeat, we will become enemies again. Do I make myself clear?"

For a moment, Usagi seemed hurt as she slowly lowered her hand down and said "Oh." Well, this Gemini certainly wasn't any nicer then she was outside of her fuku, but she couldn't be all that bad…could she? Right? She could only continue hoping and believing such a thing.

With a final snort and a hmph, Alexis abruptly turned on her heal and began to walk away from the group. However, just before going down the shrine steps below her, she stopped and turned her head over her shoulder. "The power you now possess," Her voice was low as she looked over at Haruka, "Is a curse unto itself. Beware of the danger that lurks within it." Although it seemed somewhat odd that she was _warning _Haruka about her new form, one couldn't help but to wonder _why _it was dangerous. Well, besides the fact that Haruka wasn't quite ready to accept the massive amount of power…but that didn't seem to be the case. Curse? What did that mean?

Without another word, Alexis began to descend the staircase and, eventually, disappeared out of view of the group. Nervously, they looked to one another.

"Usagi…" Rei muttered with a bit of annoyance in her tone, "You shouldn't have agreed to that without consoling us first!"

"I-I know," Usagi sighed as she looked down at the ground, "But…I know Gemini won't turn her back on us. At least, not yet. I saw it in her eyes…she's firm upon her standing and won't backlash until that woman is dead. So, we don't have to worry about her now, at least…right?"

Everyone gave weak nods of their heads.

"It does appear as if we have more then on enemy on our hands…" Ami mused, "The Deathbusters, Darksaturn, this Woman now, too…"

"They could all be aligned, though," Michiru commented softly, "We know nothing about those two…though that woman Gemini described was involved with creations of Daimons and, as you described, did have an attack relating to the Death Busters…so we cannot say for sure." She sighed and shook her head, "All we know is that we have several people after us. We need to be cautious if she is afraid of that woman."

"Agreed," Rei said with a nod of her head.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about Gemini, too!" Minako added with a grin, "And with her on our side, this should be easy, right?" The group collectively nodded their heads in response, though the air of seriousness still lingered. What was happening to them was dangerous, and already, it had claimed far too many lives for comfort. This was different from anything they had ever faced before…and with an unlikely ally on their side maybe, just maybe, they'll have the ability to right all of the wrongs and vanquish this returned evil, once and for all.

However, something else was on Haruka's mind then what the other's contemplated. Curse? On her? With that new form? It didn't make any sense. Sure, she wasn't ready to take on such power, but she would find a way! She had to, to protect the Princess. Still, she couldn't help but to wonder…

"Hey," She piped up and broke the uneasy silence that had claimed everyone, "Do you guys know what Gemini was talking about? With that curse business?" Her attention was turned towards the triad of Zodiac with them. The trio all glanced at each other in the way that they did, as if they had some sort of way to silently communicate with one another.

Upon looking at their individual faces, one could see a mixture of emotions painted across their features. Enala's expression was stern and serious, her pale eyes glistening with determination, but also, as if she had some sort of a secret to hide. Loren appeared to be less serious and more concerned, but, behind it all, there was another emotion; fear. She certainly seemed to know what Gemini meant, but somehow, didn't want to admit or face it. Meanwhile, Lizzie had a baffled expression, as if she was out of the loop somehow. There seemed to be a lot more going on with them besides what the Sol Senshi already knew, and they didn't appear to be keen on letting them in on whatever they still hid, either.

Enala gave a soft nod of her head as she turned to Haruka, "Well…I think it's because of the nature of how one gains that form. It can only be done by a Zodiac, your unseen protectors, taps directly into the power of the Planet and, through the Zodiac, it feeds into you and, thusly, the form is created. Because we were forbidden from ever leaving our posts, least of all meeting you in person, the form itself could be considered forbidden or a secret. Also, such as what happened with you, Haruka-san, it is…difficult to tell when one is ready to accept such an overload in power. Thusly, it is rather dangerous to do."

Haruka didn't believe a word Enala said, and, by the looks of a majority of the other Sol Senshi, they didn't either. She seemed to be bullshitting them, and doing it quite well too, because of some sort of secret that she, and the others, wanted to keep in. Even though it was clear that the Zodiac _were _their allies, there was still a lot about them that they didn't know. Especially all of this secret business.

About to open her mouth in retaliation, Haruka's voice was cut off when Usagi chirped up. "Well, now that that's settled, I'm starving! Lets go get some burgers, okay?" Ever-cheerful, ever unaware of what was really going on. With a giggle and a skip, she started her way down towards the exit of the shrine, but stopped when she turned to face the others. "Come on, guys! All of this doom-and-gloom is really getting' me down! Let's go have some fun, 'kay?" With laughter at Usagi's usual persona finally making a comeback, the others quickly followed suit.

Even though she appeared to be fine on the outside, Enala could tell that Usagi was more troubled then the entire group that stood there…

(Gemini)

Although her spirit had been returned to her, that light of hope burning bright within her heart, it still did not make the pain of Mamoru's death any less real to Usagi. Inside, even though she could smile again, it still hurt inside of her chest whenever she thought of him. Thought of what he would say to her, what he would do when presented with a situation…the dates they would go on.

Usagi walked along the street, towards her home from the Hiwaka Shrine, her stomach was full of junk food goodness. Though she had a bounce to her step as she walked away from her friends, it became more like a dragging march as she progressed along. This stretch of this street was where she and Mamoru would always walk down, looking for things for him to buy for her, or to slip into one of the many cafés around for a quick bite to eat. Subconsciously, Usagi reached for the ring adorned upon her left finger, lightly twisting it against her skin.

Promise…

Yes. It was a sign of promise. Although it pained her to think about Mamoru in such a way, that they would be sharing a life together as husband and wife, but…it was a sign to her. A sign that he would return to her. Taking Enala's words to heart, Usagi used this item - this simple item, a beautiful ring - as her own source of hope. Anytime she felt sad, she would remember that Mamoru had promised to be by her side through thick and through thin…even if he wasn't there with her. A smile formed upon her lips. This ring was what would guide her through this to find him again. To bring him back.

It was his promise to her.

And her promise to herself.

As Usagi walked along, she stopped in her tracks as she turned around and looked up at the bright, neon-flashing sign overhead through the encroaching darkness of evening. The Crown Game Center. She hadn't been there in ages! A bright smile crossed her lips as she skipped inside of the glass sliding doors and looked around at the sounds and the flashing lights of the councils. Yes, this was just what she needed to get rid of all of this stress and loose herself within her horrible scores.

Immediately, Usagi's eyes went over to her favorite game - the Sailormoon Fighting Tournament. Due to Sailormoon always being popular, with its own Anime, Comic and Musical, the game never got old and people kept on coming in - and sometimes even fighting for it! - to play it. It wasn't much of a surprise to her to see all of those people crowded about it. In fact, it made her gloat a bit in her mind. Even though things were awful for her and her fellow Senshi, it made Usagi feel warm and fuzzy on the inside that people still idolized Sailormoon - her.

Usagi scooted over towards the game and weaved her way through the spectators, though was surprised that no one was fighting or claiming the next round on the game, only observing a single person. However, due to her rather small stature, she couldn't tell _who _was playing, but judging from what people were saying, she was good. Very good.

"Oh my gosh!" A girl gasped, "I've never seen an A on every round on the hardest level!"

"Yeah, and she's up to Pluto and has barely taken any damage! As Mars, too!!" A boy commented. Usagi gritted her teeth and squeezed through them, popping out in front of the crowd.

Her jaw dropped.

Sitting at the game was none other then the chain-smoking, trench-coat wearing, rude girl that had run into her at the Fair the day before! Usagi gasped in shock and loomed over her shoulders, watching her take down Pluto without barely any effort what so ever, barely taking a single blow from the powerful Senshi of Time. Even as she watched, Usagi could not help but to feel a twinge of sorrow inside of herself, remembering the lost Guardian that she held so dear to her.

With a final Mars Snake Fire, Pluto was charred to a crisp and the round was decided - the score was through the roof! Even Usagi, who actually did well at that game, couldn't believe her eyes! This girl was insane! More over, she could feel herself brimming with anger that this annoying girl was about to beat her high score! The nerve of her!

With Saturn easily downed without any effort at all, the bumper-girl reclined back in her chair as her name appeared at the very top of the score card - right above the one labeled 'Muun.' Usagi brimmed with rage for this petty little thing, perhaps, to release her inner aggression about her current and present situation. Shoving her way through the crowd, she plopped down on the seat next to the girl and folded her arms.

"Well well," The bumper-girl, Akyjinno, commented with a grin, "Look who decided to show up…"

"I challenge you to a game!" Usagi exclaimed, much to the awe of everyone who stood around them, "I'll show you who _really _rules at this game!" Akyjinno gave a chuckle and nodded her head.

"Well, you certainly are brave, _onna_. Let's go." The girl passed a cool and confident grin as each chose their characters - Akyjinno picked the one who had gotten her the high score, Sailormars, while Usagi aimed for the obvious character, Sailormoon. Both, confident within their own abilities within this simple little game, store intently at the flickering screen as their individual characters rounded off with some insults before they appeared upon the battle field.

Each posed respectively, and then, the battle began. Usagi was caught completely off guard as her opponent fired off a quick round of Mars Flame Sniper, then a Fire Heel Drop just as Moon was sailing towards the ground, burning with fire. Usagi gave a yelp of displeasure as she watched her health drop down really quickly, but as soon as her character recovered, Mars was right on her and slapping her a few times. Just as Moon was ready to hit the deck again, the Senshi of Fire released a chain of physical combos of kicks and punches to the completely downed Senshi of the Moon. Just as Usagi thought she could get the edge by quickly jumping forward, Akyjinno sent her character into yet another Mars Flame Sniper, knocking off what little remained of the blonde's health. Mars stood triumphantly over the downed Moon and cackled like a madwoman.

"H-hey, no fair!" Usagi yelped as the second round began, and only received a cold chuckle from the taller woman.

Usagi decided not to waste any time as she lashed out a Moon Gorgeous Mediation at Mars, who also released an attack at the same time. The attacks meet head on and dissipated, leaving both parties a second to recover from their poses. Usagi released another Meditation towards Akyjinno, who instead of producing a Mars Flame Sniper, unleashed a Mars Snake Fire and quickly fell into a blocking stance. The low-riding attack knocked Moon down and sustained an excellent amount of damage, while Mars only gained a small amount from the blocked attack. Usagi gritted her teeth and growled as she rapidly began to mash the buttons without any heed as to what she was doing, punching thin air as Akyjinno chuckled again. Moon leaped at Mars, who kicked her back and lashed out with another one of those damn fire heels and cast Moon aside, then backed up.

Ah!

Usagi grinned deviously as she looked at her health bar. While on the ground and waiting for Mars to attack, she had one trick up her sleeve - Sailormoon's desperation move! She had never had to actually _use _it before, and prayed that she remembered the order in which the buttons needed to be pressed. Just as she saw Mars approach to release the final blow, a Fire Heel Drop, Usagi hit the right order of buttons in just enough time to release a blue-colored pillar of light from herself, surrounding herself and instantly destroying what health remained on Mars, effectively winning that round.

"Not so bad now, huh?!" Usagi exclaimed as she leaned over towards her gaming rival with a sly grin upon her lips. Akyjinno scoffed slightly as the final round began, as they were both tied.

"You got lucky," She commented as she grinned again, preparing to lay a smack down upon Usagi's ass.

Both were determined to win at this point. They were tied, and neither of them liked that fact. Usagi, though, simply had to prove her worth! It _was _her game, after all! It would be incredibly pathetic if she lost as _herself_.

However, before the beginning poses could be made, the lights began to flicker suddenly, before shutting off all-together. Usagi gasped as her head snapped behind her as she squinted against the darkness, seeing a faint silhouette, outlined by the twilight outside. Bright pink eyes gleamed in the darkness as the familiar inversed crescent pulsated upon her forehead as the figure snapped her hand outwards and called forth a short wand into her hands…Usagi's color drained from her skin as she recognized that staff, that aura…those eyes.

She was here! The girl that Gemini feared!

With a mad cackle, the woman rushed forward and stabbed her wand deep into an unsuspecting girl, the young woman screaming in pain for a few seconds, before her voice ceased to escape from her throat. The woman withdrew her wand and with it, a glittering sphere of light that quickly materialized into a familiar shape of a Pure no Kokoro. The woman cackled and closed her fingers around the visage, absorbing it into her body.

The people inside of the Crown Game Center began to scream and panic as the Woman caused the doors to slam shut and fuse to their spots, her maddening laughter filling the tiny space as she thrust her hands out, releasing several Daimon pods into the games. They quickly formed into monstrous creatures - though their details could not be seen well within the darkness. Usagi shot up to her feet and gasped as she could just barely make out the faint details of the Daimons attacking the poor people within the game parlor, ripping their souls from their bodies as the woman continued to laugh.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" She cooed between her fits of mad giggling, "Come out and play, Sailormoon!"

Usagi looked nervously around. Even though the darkness would obscure her identity from everyone, the fact that her transformation was so bright and flashy would surly draw attention to herself, and she _really _didn't feel like exposing herself to these people…but, as she saw one more child fall to the ground, lifeless, she had no choice. Gritting her teeth, she reached for her broach and prepared to shout the words to transform her, when a voice rang out above the strange woman's laughter.

"Aries!" The voice was horse and crude sounding as the lights began to flicker, "Blood…" The lights turned on dimly, enough for people to see, but not enough to make out detailed figures. "…Bath!"

Usagi looked around as she swore she heard the sound of rushing water, like when a massive wave neared the shore. The sound originated from the far wall, just behind Usagi, and as she strained her ears, she could tell that the sound was becoming louder. Her head turned in that direction slowly, to see that the wall had begun to bulge as if a massive force was brewing beyond it. Blue eyes widened in shock as it continued to strain against the heavy cement wall, creating massive fissures that riddled its surface, as a deep crimson, thick liquid began to squirt out. Metal broke and bent, and pieces of concrete began to shoot off from the wall as the spurts of fluid only increased. Then, with a massive creaking that could only be considered deafening, the wall gave way as a massive wave and onrush of blood burst out. Usagi screamed as she raised her arms to protect herself from the onrush of thick, sticky liquid, and could only pray she'd manage to not crash into something hard, like a game or the opposite wall.

To her surprise, the wave passed right through her and through all of the remaining people, only lashing out and crashing against the Daimons that existed, and the strange woman before her as well. The Daimons flew back against the opposite wall and were crushed against it, creating sizable indentations against the construction material. The blood began to seep into the ground so as everyone could breathe, and just as it had, Usagi heard a voice directed towards her.

"What the hell are you waiting for, _onna_" It commanded as Usagi looked behind her, only to see a vague outline of someone in a pony-tail with thick, heavy boots on sitting on top of one of the games, "Don't want to half-ass it, right?" Rather then debate who this person was, Usagi gave a nod of her head and thrust her broach up above her head.

"Moon Eternal, Make-Up!" She shouted. Golden light surrounded her and enveloped her body, spreading outwards away from her and blasting what little remained of the blood away and against the walls as she transformed within a flurry of feathers. With her Moon Tier in hand, she pointed it towards the blood-drenched woman.

"I will not allow you to harm innocent children wishing to get their minds off of the real world!" Sailormoon announced as she pointed the small and rather frail looking weapon at the cloaked figure. "And in the Name of the Moon, I shall punish you!" Just as she struck her infamous pose, the lights turned on completely as she placed her left palm against the butt of her slender weapon.

"You don't have a chance of defeating me, Sailormoon!" The woman announced, "Your little Zodiac friends couldn't even lay a scratch what makes you think --"

"Silver Moon!" Sailormoon shouted as she extended the bottom of her staff downwards by a great deal. The woman growled and pointed her weapon towards Sailormoon and the Daimons began to leap forward towards the pretty suited Senshi, who only stood fast. "Crystal Power…Kiss!"

With a final wave of her wand, bands of pure golden light rained down from the top of her Tier, shooting straight through the hearts of the Daimons and disintegrating them, their pods falling to the ground and shattering; though it did leave the games they infested in a very…well, broken condition. The souls that were stolen, however, returned to their owners as they slowly began to wake up.

Sailormoon lowered her wand down and looked around. Strange…that woman was gone, but she didn't recall seeing her leave nor did she hear her scream, but her aura certainly was gone. More over, the blood that stained every inch of the Game Center was gone as well…and the wall behind her was completely intact. Was it all just some sort of a fabricated illusion created by whomever had created it?

Of course, within her whole wonderment of what was going on, the whole blood scenario and the mysterious helper off to the side, Sailormoon failed to notice the people strewn across the arcade beginning to come to. With their souls returned to them, they were now quite alive and functional, and in about three seconds, Sailormoon would soon regret not de-transforming right off of the bat.

One girl sat up from her spot and groaned, rubbing her forehead as she glanced around. The lights were back on, there was no more monsters, nor was the strange woman around. Although her memory was a little foggy about what happened, she recalled a lot of blood all of the sudden…then a flash of golden light…then nothing. With another groan, she looked around and spotted her savior right across the way, right next to her.

The girl gasped and pointed towards the befuddled Sailormoon and shouted, "I-It's Sailormoon!" She exclaimed to the other people in the room, "Sailormoon has saved us all!!"

Sailormoon, with a loud yelp, quickly found herself surrounded by crazed fans. They squeezed so close to her, right up against her wings and some other unmentionable portions of her body, making it not only impossible to move or break away from them, and also making it difficult to breathe as well. Each person that stood around her spoke a mile a minute, showering her with praise, questions, answers and other nonsense which she could not make out otherwise, due to the sheer amount of people rambling at the same time. And the fact that each person grew louder and louder as they noticed that _many _other people were trying to steal their limelight did not help Sailormoon's present position anymore.

"Um…y-you're all quite welcome…excuse me…um…pardon me…I have to get out…please! Let me through!" However, Sailormoon's weak and embarrassed words fell to deaf ears, considering her lone voice wasn't enough to rise above the many of the people around her. It wasn't until one of them tore a piece off of her skirt and jumped away, shouting triumphantly did she start to get agitated.

She thrust her arms out towards the side and shouted, "Let me through!" at the top of her little lungs, which quickly caused everyone surrounding her to promptly shut the hell up. However, upon seeing their wide eyes and their quivering lower lips quickly changed her mood from slightly annoyed to a bit pitiful of these people. With a sigh, she wove her hand in front of them. "Okay, okay…I'll sign something for each of you, alright?"

There was a massive cheer from each person as they scrambled to find _something _to get THE Sailormoon's autograph on. Their sheer joy and happiness brought a soft smile to Sailormoon's lips that she could not help. Somehow, all of these people who were just so happy to actually meet her brought her a sort of comfort and a happiness inside of her which she had not felt in some time.

Her grin only grew as she began to scribble her name on their articles, whether it be a piece of paper or their shirt, letting loose a true and soft laugh as she did so.

Somehow, this was just what she needed…

(moon)

"It looks like the pieces of the game are starting to finally come into play…" The Red-eyed woman said with a grin across her darkly painted lips, her fingers lightly drumming the cold, steel table before her, "The Zodiac keep making their mark upon this game. Nothing but pawns…"

"It is as you predicted," The strange Woman, clad in pink, commented as she looked up from her kneeling position before the Red-eyed woman, "The Zodiac seem to be drawn to their Princesses, not only that, but somehow their mere _presence _gives the Sol Senshi strength. However, many of them still remain disconnected from the Sol Senshi, and even from each other." The Red-eyed woman smirked again as she turned around to face her minion before her.

"You've learned much since your last encounter with those annoying hoodlums," She commented coolly, "Not only that, but your extended…_research _upon them have given us _great _insight. We are so close…so close to learning their secrets! So close to being able to destroy them once and for all!! It is perfect, brilliant!!" The Red-eyed woman threw her arms into the air as she tilted her head back and let loose a wild and mad cackle from her throat. It was short-lived, however, as she turned her cackles into short giggles as she continued to speak, "What else have you learned?"

"They remain divided," The woman spoke, "The three who have been with their Princesses since the start remain loyal to the Sol Senshi and to Sailorcancer. However, the remainder of them still follow their temporary leader, Sailorleo. I feel…no, I _know _that this fact will divide them permanently! With them separate, they will be very _easy _to be disposed of."

"Most excellent! This proves to be in our favor, Evil," The Red-eyed woman smirked, "You will continue your study upon them. And, if need-be, destroy them if you so desire, or they become to…organized."

"Yes." The woman, Evil, bowed her head and rose up to her feet, lightly tossing her gray-brown hair over her shoulders, "How are your preparations coming along?"

"They will be finished tomorrow," The Red-eyed woman responded, "And we will finally make our move! I'll crush those pathetic Sailorsenshi with my own hands when the time comes! Oh, what a glorious day it will be…to take back what was rightfully mine in the first place from them!" Again, she began to cackle madly with her arms to the side and her head drawn back, and during this fit of insanity, the brown-haired woman snorted and turned on her heel, walking out of the room.

Her heels clicked against the stone corridors of the great Citadel, her magenta eyes gazing about the crumbling and decaying architecture around the halls. It was an ancient building, so old and so beautiful it put the most beautiful Cathedrals on Earth to utter shame, with long and twisting dark hallways and hidden rooms and passages. It was a perfect spot for their base of operations; secluded and in a place where no Sailorsenshi could ever find them. Lightly, Evil touched her fingers against the wall and brushed against it, finding a grainy portion of it and lifted her fingers away, to see dried blood upon them. A smirk came to her lips as she licked the powder from her fingers.

Under its desperately creepy feel to it, there lay blood. Blood stained everywhere…against the walls, pained across them like murals or simply splattered here and there, with fresh stains and blood across the floor and walls, dripping slowly down. The cries of poor mortals they snared up to rip to shreds before consuming their souls would be killed or tortured anyplace they happened to be…or in the specific rooms. Evil continued to smirk as she walked, taking a guilty pleasure in hearing their cries, their screams and pleas to stop, to leave them alone or to simply kill them. It was one of the few reasons why she remained.

"Their plans are already taking effect," She whispered to herself, "When will it be _my _turn to have some fun?"

"_Patience, my dear,_" The voice of The Yami rang in her head, "_All will occur in due-time. One must learn how to deal with these things. It is not yet time for you to reveal _your _true self to them. Let them grow…let them suffer and die by those Sailorsenshi so you have fewer people to go through._"

"And in the mean-time? Simply be her lap-dog until I can finally break her neck with my own hands?!" Evil hissed darkly as her eyes narrowed, flashing a bright color of blue briefly as she clenched her fists.

"_All in due time, my dear!_" The Yami assured, "_You will get your chance. For now, keep spoon feeding her information on the Zodiac. They _will _die by your hands…I assure you…_"

Evil continued to smirk widely and began to chuckle, "I will take much pleasure in it…" She stopped and looked up to the beautifully arched ceiling and closed her eyes, "Oh, Yami…what would I ever do without you?"

"_You would not achieve Eternal Darkness…one must be patient with acquiring such a thing…"_ The Yami chuckled after this, "_Without me…you would be nothing… nothing at all, my child…_"

"Right you are, Yami. Right you are…"

(Yami)

"So, you saw Aries?" Came Enala's curious voice as she addressed Usagi. The blonde girl gave a bit of a nod of her head and glanced around her.

Herself, Enala and Lizzie now stood behind Juuban Senior Highschool after she had taken the Duo of Zodiac Senshi aside to tell them about what had happened the day before at the arcade. Although there was little to report, something did seem a little odd about the random attack that did not seem to mean serious harm or damage. At least, none that she could see.

"W-well…" Usagi stated, assuring that no one else was around, "I didn't really _see _her, per-say. I saw a vague outline, it was too dark to make anything out, really." She laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head aimlessly as her two companions glanced at one another, then back at her.

"So, how exactly _did _you know it was her?" Lizzie asked as she folded her arms and looked down at her fellow bun-wearer.

"Well, I still don't know if it's _really _her and all…" Usagi laughed nervously again, "Heck, even if I DID see her, how would I know by looking, right?" As she said those words, Usagi noticed that a look of frustration crossed Lizzie's face, as if Usagi had been avoiding the question. She sounded a small 'eep' sound and poked her fingers together, scuffling the ground with her shoe, "A-anyway…I just heard an attack. 'Aries Blood Bath' and this wave of blood came out of the wall…and …and it was really creepy!"

"Yeah, that's Aries all right," Enala confirmed with a nod of her head, "You kind of get used to the whole blood-thing after a while, especially when you realize it's not real in the first place…"

"Wait, the blood isn't _real_?!" Usagi exclaimed as she store at the Zodiac Duo in wonder, "It sure felt like it was on me! It was really gross and I almost felt like I was going to throw up…!"

"That's the thing about it," Lizzie explained in a serious tone, "Although Aries considers 'blood' to be her element, it's actually more closely altering emotions, thoughts and brain-waves of people to suit her needs. She's actually a very accomplished illusionist; all of her attacks deal with tricks of the mind, which is why you and everything in the arcade weren't blown back by the wave. Only those she wanted to effect on a physical level were hurt and thrown back. It's a little complex, but after you've been around her for a while, you start to notice these things."

"Ah…" Usagi placed her hand to her chin and closed her eyes, giving a very thoughtful nod at the explanation of Aries' interesting powers. She continued to nod her head a few times, making interesting 'hmm!' noises. After a few seconds of doing this, her blue eyes opened and she dropped her hand. "…Um…what exactly was that again?" Usagi laughed nervously and Lizzie gained a rather perturbed look in her eyes, her right eyebrow twitching slightly at the other blonde.

"Oh for the love of Pete!" She hollered and lunged after Usagi, Usagi managing to dodge out of the way and avoid the rage of the Soldier of Justice, giving a 'eep' of surprise and began to run for her life, Lizzie chasing after her across the back of the school. Enala looked on with a quirked eyebrow and a bit of a chuckle, raising her hand to stifle it ever-so-slightly.

However, as Lizzie and Usagi dashed out of sight, with a massive dust-cloud at their heels, Enala's pleased expression changed into that of a more serious nature. Her blue eyes drew up towards the sky as she looked at the fluffy white clouds overhead.

"So…it's finally begun…" Her voice was barely a whisper as a small smile formed across her pale lips.

(cancer)


	11. The Moon Tier Destroyed?

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Eternal Darkness, Episode 11: The Moon Tier Destroyed? Scorpio's Heart!**

            Groggy blue eyes gazed out of a paneled window before her, as rain splashed down against the glass softly. It had been raining for the past week or so now, non-stop, with the skies overhead dark and gloomy. The weather was most unusual for Toyko during the spring-time, although it did frequently rain, this was a little over the top, to say the least. The water ran down the glass in a small waterfall, only to be covered once again with the steady and heavy rainfall.

Nothing new or exciting had happened within this past week. Usagi gave a soft sigh as she continued to watch the rain, her mind, for once, on other things besides the recent affairs. No Daimons had attacked, there was no sign of that strange woman or Darksailorsaturn, least of all another Zodiac running around. Although she had improved greatly since the Fair, Usagi couldn't _help _but to be depressed with all of this weather. It was enough to drive even the most happy, bubbly person into the depths of sloth, tiredness and depression. Usagi's mind didn't even drift over to the thoughts of Mamoru and his death, no, her mind was on other things.

With a deep sigh, she light tapped her pencil against the sheet of paper she had set out from her notebook, with her math textbook spread out in front of her. In her mind ran several things; wondering what was causing this odd rain to fall, how well she would do on the next test, and last of all, how the heck to solve the problem that was placed before her!

Usagi looked down to the pad of paper and sighed, doodling a flower of sorts across the top of the paper. Her mind tried it's best to sort out what the heck the math equation was trying to tell her, going through the jumbled lessons Ami had given her the day before in a study session.

But, it was pointless. All of the stuff that Ami so desperately tried to do, to help Usagi with her struggles in school, usually fell right out of her head as soon as it was said, or shortly there after. There was _something _Ami had told her about this kind of equation, but Usagi couldn't remember it for the life of her! She groaned loudly and slumped back in her chair, her eyes drifting back over towards the rainfall again. It was so miserable outside, and with all of these math problems due tomorrow at school, it was even _more _depressing inside then out!

"Bah!" Usagi placed her pencil down and glanced towards the TV, across the room from the table she sat at. A devious grin passed across her lips as she slowly stood up and walked over to it, plopping down on the floor and flipping it on.

The news blared on the current channel that Usagi was on, and she really only watched it with half-interest, while she went to find the TV guide. All she really picked up was the guy droning on about the weather, how it was unpredictable and seemed to not move, despite the wind. Nothing to concern herself with! Once Usagi found the guide and reached for the remote, ready to change it to her favorite Anime shows, she stopped dead as she looked at the screen.

"…Much like many of the other murders occurring around the greater Tokyo area," The news anchor droned, "The death of Saitou Kun follows in the same patterns as the infamous 'Angel of Death' cases. He was found dead this morning, with a hole carved in his chest…"

Usagi could feel her entire body grow cold as she sat there, listening to the report, and seeing the display of the dead body of this Kun fellow. Although she was much better then she was before, after…_it _happened, the pain of her loss was still real. In her mind, she could see Mamoru's body laying there, instead of Saitou Kun, replaying everything in her mind when she entered into his bedroom that night. Even though it happened well over a few months ago, it was still fresh in her mind, and it was enough to bring her back into her depression.

A few moments later, Luna wandered into the living-area after her little post-lunch, pre-dinner snooze, and to check on Usagi, she was not too surprised to see the table in the middle of the room barren, textbooks open. But, as she glanced around to see if Usagi was sitting around, reading Manga or watching TV, she was surprised to see Usagi throwing on her raincoat in a hurry.

"Usagi?" Luna inquired a she walked towards the blonde, watching the girl flinch, "What's going on? Shouldn't you be working on homework?"

"I…" Usagi looked down at Luna with a startled expression, then a more furrowed, depressed one, "…I can't stay here right now…I-I have to go out!"

"But Usagi--!"

"I'm sorry!" Usagi gasped as she, almost literally, tore the door right off of its hinges and dashed outside, into the downpour. Luna stood in shocked silence as the door slowly closed by itself. Sighing, she went to head over towards one of the pillows littered across the room, Luna glanced up towards the TV and gasped.

"Oh…Usagi! I…I sure hope she'll be alright out there…"

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Enala strummed her fingers against the cool, hard surface of the table she sat at, rather impatiently. Her soft, blue eyes were darting around the Crown Fruit Parlor, looking for the person she was expecting to meet here, almost ten minutes ago. Her pudgy, rounded chin rested within her other, small hand. _Where is she?_ She thought to herself, her eyes drifting across towards the window beside her.

The rain had not let up since the day after Usagi's encounter with Sailoraries. It was very unusual. Even for a girl so used to it raining on a near constant basis in England, even this was a bit unnatural for Enala…and a bit unnerving too. Something wasn't right with this rain, but she could not figure out what it was. Was it natural weather patterns, or the work of an enemy…?

"Ah!" Enala jumped in her seat as she suddenly felt someone lightly tap her shoulder, falling out of her stance and turning her head up to see a familiar face. "Loren!"

"Sorry I'm so late…" Loren said with a soft smile on her fair and thin lips, watching Enala get out of her seat at the booth and stand in front of the taller woman. Their eyes locked; Loren's beautiful emerald green ones, and Enala's soft blue ones, the two of them, just standing there for a moment. Loren only continued to smile down at the shorter girl, who seemed to hesitate in doing or saying something. But, there was an unspoken bond between the two, a bond that had not yet been broken, not even in their long years of sleeping before their current form.

"Loren, I--" Enala started, though Loren reached out and gently placed her fingers upon Enala's lips. A shiver ran down Enala's spine as Loren softly touched her there, Loren only smiling and shaking her head softly, her fingers gently moving downwards, across Enala's lips, and then down to gently highlight her chin. Softly, Loren cradled her face, before lowering her hand down and smiling even more, her kind eyes sparkling down at Enala.

"…You don't need to say it," She whispered as she gestured towards the booth with her head, "I already know what you were about to say." Enala could feel all of her blood rush out of her heavily-beating heart and right up into her face, turning her cheeks a nice shade of rosy red, only a few shades lighter then the color of her hair. Quickly nodding, she picked up her skirts and slid into the booth, against the wall, and Loren followed suit. She sat close to Enala and gently reached her hand out, softly placing it on top of the other girl's own, in a gentle and reassuring manor. Enala could only blush some more.

"S-so…u-um…" Shifting her weight in her seat, Enala found her eyes drawn back up to Loren, then flushed a bit more as she quickly looked away. Everything she wanted to say right now just couldn't come out…and somehow, Loren was able to sense that. She chuckled softly and leaned down towards Enala, leaning almost over her to look out of the window and holding herself close to her. Enala only blushed more with Loren's close presence over her.

"It's been very rainy out, hasn't it?" Enala vigorously nodded her head as Loren continued, "It's not…quite right, though. I am very used to it raining a lot in Ireland, and I am sure you are used to it in England…but this…it seems _unnatural _somehow. And, coupled with the fact that the clouds never move, even with the wind…"

"…I-I was thinking the same thing," Enala slowly looked up to Loren, their eyes meeting again, though this time Enala did not blush, "I…I really don't know what's causing it…but there seems to be something about it that isn't right. And…somehow I feel it's connected with our enemy."

"Yes," Loren said with a nod, leaning back against the leather of the booth the duo sat in, "I do not understand how that can be, but…if their influence is strong enough, then maybe…it might be possible to alter the weather to their needs."

"But why rain?" Enala suddenly asked, turning her head back around from the window to Loren, who was slightly taken aback by her words.

"I…I really don't know…"

"Why rain…?" Enala repeated, looking back out of the window and watching a bolt of lightning part across the sky, "I mean, there isn't anything _evil _or _sinister _about it. It's just rain, with some thunder and lightning…"

"It could be that they are collecting the _energy _produced from the storm!" Came an all-too-familiar Russian-accented voice, causing both Loren and Enala's attention to snap around to her, her voice sounding right as a loud roll of thunder sounded directly above. Instantly, Loren stood up and stood defensively in front of Enala as the lightning flashed outside.

"Alexis!" She gasped, glaring down at the stocky, blue-haired Russian girl. Alexis, in return, merely folded her arms across her chest and gave a toss of her long hair, which was braided today, over her shoulder.

"I am not here to fight you," She commented dryly with a snort, "I have no intentions of killing you…_yet_. I just came to _talk_."

"…About what?" Loren snapped, "We have nothing to say to you!"

"Loren, please," Enala stated with a soft tone, reaching out and lightly touching the Irish woman on the arm, "Let her say what she needs to say." Loren looked down at her petite sized leader, and her cold expression softened, but quickly returned to its colder glance as she turned back towards Alexis.

"…Are you sure we can trust her not to attack?" Loren said in a low tone, though she knew that Alexis could hear her.

"_Usagi _trusts her," Enala said with a serious tone, "So, I trust her as well. Please, Alexis, sit down. I'm not sure as to what you want to say, but…I am sure it is important if you are approaching us directly."

Alexis snorted again and proceeded to walk towards the opposite side of the booth, plopping down in it and kicking her heavy combat boots against the fine surface of the table. Loren wrinkled her nose in disgust at the general lack of tact that Alexis displayed, especially considering the Japanese were often more polite then the British! Continuing to scoff at the lone Split Senshi, Loren tentatively sat down in her seat besides Enala, though she was prepared to spring up at a moment's notice.

Casually folding her arms behind the back of her head, Alexis spoke up: "There is a hell of a lot more going on here then what you _puny _Senshi have been able to pick up!" She stated, her split eyes opening to stare intently over at Loren, "…Something that you, of all people, _should be aware of_."

"It's about her, isn't it?" Loren said in a serious tone, though her sour expression did not change, "And her form…"

"So, you indeed know a bit more then I _presumed _you did," Alexis continued, still in her usual gruff and generally annoyed tone, which seemed to be ever-present when she spoke. "It seems all of the other Zodiac that have gathered here _remain clueless _as to the whole situation."

"Huh?" Enala asked, looking between Loren and Alexis, then back to Alexis again, "What are you talking about?"

"Her," Loren said softly, "The girl Alexis mentioned…_Empyrean_…she's here, in this time."

Enala glanced between the duo once again, about two or three times, before her curious blue eyes fell upon the form of Loren. In all of her years as a Zodiac, she had never seen Loren, or rather, Sailorcapricorn so serious before. Enala recalled about as much as she possibly could about her past life as Sailorcancer, considering how long she presumably lived, but whatever it was that Sailorgemini and Capricorn were talking about _must _have been important, and it must be something she should remember…as of right now, she was rather perplexed with the whole thing…but that name, Empyrean, did ring a bell somehow.

Something important had happened; Enala could feel it deep within her heart. Something concerning the sanctity of Capricorn…but what it was, she couldn't recall. But that girl, the one that Alexis had talked about before, it was someone familiar to Cancer's past, but again, who she was exactly wasn't in her brain anymore.

Loren, sensing Enala's confusion, broke off her staring-contest with Alexis, looking down towards her leader. Her hand, once again, reached out and gently took Enala's within her own, smiling softly down at her. Enala broke out of her trance and looked up at Loren, and weakly smiled. Loren's green eyes seemed to tell Enala that it was alright, and that maybe, just maybe, it was better if she didn't know the truth. Almost like…the truth was too painful to recognize.

"…And I'm sure you know what that means, da?" Alexis continued, drawing the attention of the pair towards her again, "It means that she is _not _a servant of…whoever the hell it is that you and your little _friends _are fighting against. She desires only three things…" Taking her feet from the table and leaning forward, she extended one hand towards Loren and Enala, "One, she will stop at nothing to make sure _you _are _dead_," With the singular finger she extended, Alexis pointed directly towards Loren, "And, in no doubt, she will do everything in her power to make sure you _suffer _before you die."

"Is that a _warning _you're giving me, Alexis?" Loren asked skeptically. Alexis snorted in response and leaned back in the chair.

"Why should _I _care what she does with you?!" She grumbled loudly, "I am merely saying that, as long as _you _are around, she will _always _come. I am saying that you are the perfect bait for when we want to dispose of her, once and for all! That is _all _that I am telling you, wench!"

"…And you don't have to be so rude, either!" Loren snapped back. Enala was taken aback by this attitude that her friend was so strongly displaying, an emotion that usually wasn't present within the ever-calm and ever-kind Loren. Did Gemini _really _just rub her the wrong way, with her rudeness…or was it something else? Enala only looked up at Loren with some concern in her eyes as Alexis continued.

"Two, she will seek out and take the Ginzuishou for her own," She didn't seem to pay Loren's snappy disposition at all, Alexis' ever-present scowl still painted across her face, "And, of course, kill your _precious _little moon princess." Enala gave an affirmative nod, somehow…knowing that this mystery woman had some sort of affliction with Sailormoon, and also knowing that it was a trade-mark of villains to either want the Ginzuishou or Sailormoon dead, or both. Enala figured she would just have to lay on the whole Orbiter business hard and heavy, and do everything in her power to make sure that the same mistake she had made with Mamoru would never happen again.

"And third…she wants to kill the Zodiac," Alexis finished, "Naturally, since she --"

Enala's attention was suddenly taken away from Alexis with a start, as her head snapped towards the window and the rain-drenched city below. Alexis gave a growl of discontempt and was about to retort, but Loren spoke before she could.

"Isn't that Usagi?" She inquired, her tall stature giving her a good viewpoint over the pink-haired girl beside her. Enala gave a nod of her head, her face concerned as she watched the blonde dash into the arcade, a floor below. Loren peered down towards Enala gain, seeing the troubled look on her face and giving her hand a soft squeeze, "Is something wrong?"

"It's…just that…" Enala said with a shake of her head, "Usagi hates thunderstorms, and she tries to avoid them if possible…I only know this because every time there was a thunderstorm in Tokyo, I could feel her fear. But…that's not what worries me."

"What is it, then, Enny?" Loren continued to look down at her partner with concern. Enala, although this was the first time Loren had called her 'Enny' before, seemed to be more focused on Usagi then being flustered by the little pet name.

"…She's not afraid," Enala said quietly, "Her sorrow…it's just as deep as it was…when he died…"

Usagi needed to get away from it all for a while. Seeing the news, seeing the body of Saitou Kun just as brutally slaughtered as the body of Mamoru, it had brought up emotions she had fought back against, emotions she didn't want to feel anymore. She didn't want to be with her friends, as they, too, would bring up memories of the man she longed to touch, longed for him to hold her, to kiss her, to tell her that he loved her more then anything in the world. Especially now, with the returned Deathbusters and all of the new enemies, and people…just dying around her…it was too much for her to do alone. Usagi, she wanted…no, she _needed _Mamoru to be with her, to be by her side and support her through this.

But he was gone.

So, Usagi thought up of the only thing she could do to bring her mind off of these troubling thoughts, and that was to head to the Crown Game Parlor. However, instead of making her usual B-line towards the Sailormoon game, she stood in the doorway and glanced around.

The damage that had been done about a week prior, due to that mysterious woman's attack, had been repaired, though the spots of the games that turned into Daimons were still empty. Sighing, Usagi wandered towards the racing game and took a seat down on it.

Plugging her yen into it, Usagi put her petal to the metal and began cursing down the pre-destined course that the game had designed, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't even stay on the damn road!

"Arg, come on, you piece of crap!" She exclaimed as she tried to serve out of the grass, only to cause her continue to twist and turn down the road in a most amusing fashion. "I am so horrible at this game…! Minako has _always _been so much better at this then I am!" Suddenly, as Usagi struggled to even make it to the finish line, she couldn't help but to start laughing, at how horrible she was! And more over, she began to remember all of the good things that had come with this game.

Like, meeting Haruka. Usagi smiled as she recalled that memory fondly, how she had totally bombed at the game, and then Haruka just swooped in and clobbered the ever-confident Minako! How they had followed Haruka that day, thinking she was a he…and how Usagi fell in love with her as almost a…big-sister type figure. Out of all of her Senshi, Sailoruranus was the one most loyal to Usagi, the one who always wanted to protect her, no matter what the cause or cost…just like everyone else who she was friends with. Right down to that difficult Rei, Usagi knew that every one of them would lay down their lives before her, if it meant that she would be safe.

Suddenly, all of that sadness was gone. All of that longing, all of that loss of faith, it began to disappear as Usagi began to realize how truly important every one of her friends where. Her beloved allies, her trusted Sailor Senshi… the ones who loved her above all else. It was a lesson she had learned every time they were lost, and she knew that despite whatever odds would come her way, always, she and the others would find a way to be together.

Mamoru was no different. Finally, Enala's words truly made an impact on Usagi. Although she did wish to be by his side, she knew that her light and her faith would bring him back into her arms once again. And, should anything ever become difficult, should she ever become lonesome or sad, or even need someone to support her and comfort her, telling her it would be alright, Usagi knew that she could count on her friends. Even the Zodiac seemed to be there with her. Although everyone but Sailorcancer swore allegiances to their individual princesses, they still cared for her, and Usagi saw that. Well…except for Gemini, but even Usagi knew that Alexis had a lonesome side, under all of that aggression.

This game, and this recalling of fond memories was exactly what Usagi needed to press forward, and continue on with her life. She would go home and give someone a call, anyone, just so she could have some company to get rid of this lonesome feeling of hers. After successfully bombing the game, Usagi hopped up to her feet and began to walk outside towards the door.

Just as she reached the door, watching the glass pains slide open, a loud crack of thunder ripped through the skies, enough for Usagi to nearly jump out of her skin. Before she could even recover from the sudden noise, the entire section of Tokyo completely blacked out, a power line _somewhere _obviously getting cut in some form.

"Oh man!" Usagi groaned once her heart had stopped beating heavily in her chest, "I wonder if this goes all the way home! Eek, that would totally suck right now!" The thunder continued to crack and roll outside, each sound causing Usagi to flinch as she began to walk home. She really, really hated thunderstorms, but in order to get back home, she had no _choice _but to walk in the middle of one! And with the sounds of the city dead, it didn't really help to drown out the noise blasting on overhead.

"Okay, okay…" She told herself as he walked down the sidewalk, in a rather jerky manor, "Just…one step at a time, Usagi. That's it…one…two…three…four…" Just about to say 'five,' bright flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and a loud, heavy roll of thunder boomed loudly, so loud that it could be felt deep within Usagi's ribcage. She screamed a typical, girlish scream, and made way towards the nearest object she could cling to, which happened to be another woman, standing on the sidewalk.

"Mmm…aren't _we _a forward one?" The woman purred in a deep and sultry voice, before chuckling as Usagi realized where her face was…right in this woman's large chest! Giving a shriek and backing up hurriedly from the taller, pale-skinned woman, Usagi turned bright red and flailed her hands out in front of her.

"Agh!" She wailed, "Oh god, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to cling to you, I just--"

The woman chuckled and walked forward towards Usagi. She was a fairly pretty looking woman, with soft features and deep, soft black eyes, her lids hanging heavily over them. Long, black hair was cut in several layers, that flipped out slightly, with a good foot or two dragging against the wet ground. She was dressed in tight-fitting and low cut black leather pants, and a black corset that ended just before her waist, boosting up her rather-large bust up even higher, and in her hand she carried an umbrella. Continuing to move towards Usagi, she reached out and touched the smaller girl lightly against her cheek, then continued to move her fingers down to frame Usagi's face.

"U-um…Miss?" Usagi stammered, rather flustered at how this woman was looking at her and touching her, trying to back up, but the woman only kept after her, "C-could you _not _do that?"

"You certainly _are _the cute one," The woman cooed, "I could most certainly eat you up…" A devious smirk formed across her dark-colored lips, causing Usagi to begin to panic. Oh god, she was getting hit on by a _woman!_ A very attractive one at that, but still! A _woman_! No words managed to escape from her throat as she store up at the strange woman, who leaned closer towards her face. Just inches away, the woman laughed and released Usagi's face from her hold. She laughed.

"I could never do _that _to you, Princess." She leaned back and Usagi breathed out a deep sigh of relief, the blush fading from her cheeks.

"Thank goodness! For a second there, I--" Usagi stopped in mid-sentence as she blinked her blue eyes, gazing up at the odd, flirtatious woman. "--W-wait a second…_Princess?_" The woman laughed and gestured towards the sidewalk with her free hand.

"Ah, of course you would not know me, Princess. Shall we walk together, then?" Usagi blinked a few times, but nervously nodded her head and scurried under the woman's large black umbrella, finding shelter under it. "But I know you very well, Princess Serenity. You may know me as Sailorscorpio…but on Earth I go by the name of Kowaku Mei."

"Ah! So you're one of the Zodiac!" Usagi exclaimed, thrilled to meet another one. Although their true allegiances and why they had not readily shown themselves was a bit of a problem with everyone else, Usagi was anxious. People…who have watched over their beloved Princesses in silence couldn't be bad, right? Smiling, Usagi took Mei's free hand and shook it, "Well, I'm Tsukino Usagi! And I think you know who I really am…right?"

"More then a pleasure, Usagi-_dono._" Usagi was surprised at how formally Mei addressed her, perhaps out of respect as to her position in the Silver Millennium. Once this was said, she delicately rose Usagi's hand up to her lips and gently kissed it, causing the poor blonde to flush some more, pulling her hand away. Laughing, Mei shook her head, "I do apologize if I continue to flirt with you, Usagi-_dono_. It is my habit as the Zodiac of Lust and Desire. I flirt with anything that moves, so do excuse me in advance." For someone who appeared to be such a flirt, Mei was certainly well-mannered and, surprisingly, quite mature. Usagi shook her head slightly.

"I…guess its alright?" She paused and titled her head up towards Mei, "But…the Senshi of Lust? I can't say that…uh…"

"Ha! I know, it can be difficult to believe," Mei chuckled and turned her half-lidded gaze back down to Usagi, smiling – well, she seemed to only be able to smirk – before continuing, "But surprisingly, it has great effect to distract the enemy, so my spear may do the rest of the job."

It took Usagi a while to piece a few thing together. First off, Mei's unique hair style. The way it flipped up at the end, how unbelievably long it was – Usagi had only seen it longer when Hotaru had become Mistress 9 – and then the mention of the spear. Her being a Zodiac. Finally, Usagi's brain connected all of the things together and stopped abruptly, pointing towards Mei.

"Oh my gosh!!" She exclaimed, "You were one of the ones at the fair, weren't you?!" Mei laughed and walked back to Usagi, lifting the umbrella over her head.

"Silly Usagi-_dono_. You'll catch cold." Usagi eeped and scurried closer to Mei, who promptly reached a hand out and gave Usagi's rear a quick squeeze, pulling the much shorter girl against her. She chuckled and brought her umbrella-wielding hand over towards Usagi's flushed face, lightly touching her lips with her extended finger. "Now, we don't want that, do we…?" She cooed gently, touching her nose to Usagi's before releasing her and allowing the poor, befuddled girl to stumble away from her. Mei only continued to chuckle at her.

"J-jeez! You gotta stop doing that!" Usagi wailed and hurried back under the safety of the umbrella. And…yet…somehow, even though Mei continued pulling these type of stunts with Usagi, she felt somehow secure with this woman. There was something else to her, beyond her raging hormones, something very soothing and calming. Maybe it was the liquid tone of her voice, or how her eyes were so warm and welcoming, yet still holding that evident perversion that she clearly had. Mei's laughter stopped as she turned to a more serious expression.

"Again, I do apologize…it is difficult for me not to do such a thing with such a charming girl as you, Usagi-_dono_." She gestured back to the road as the two continued walking. For a while, no words where exchanged between then. Usagi continued to wonder about that strange feeling she had around Mei that was so warm, yet also mixed with her initial discomfort with being flirted with in such an…aggressive manor. And also, who Mei was meant to protect. Usagi was never good with dates…or remembering Zodiac, for that matter, so she had no idea.

Finally, Mei spoke up again, "I was not always like this."

"Eh?" Usagi looked up towards Mei and titled her head, her eyes glistening with curiosity.

"Well…frankly, I do not remember what I was like before…" Mei laughed again, "We Zodiac have been alive for so long, we do not even know how long it has been. But…" She looked down at Usagi and smiled, "What I do know is from the journals my…former self kept, before I became."

At this, Usagi felt utterly lost and confused. Her former self? Before she became? What the hell? Mei noticed Usagi's confused expression on her face and laughed once more, and shook her head before looking forward once more, weaving through the crowds in the darkened streets.

"I do not expect you to understand, Usagi-_dono_. It is…very complex." She sighed and looked towards the cloudy heavens, lighting still flashing up amongst the clouds. "We Zodiac are…well, there is much more to us then what you may know. Originally, I was a denizen of Pluto, back before any kingdom of any kind existed. A Nun. I was a holy and pious woman who did only good deeds to the poor people of Pluto. Then, I was selected by Selenity – your dear mother, before she was even a Queen – to become a Zodiac. To protect Pluto. Much as the other Zodiac, I was a normal human, but I was injected with a Starseed that was not my own."

"A…Starseed that wasn't your own?" Usagi was even more lost then before, and Mei seemed to be able to tell.

"Yes. You see, we Zodiac originate from _outside _of the Sol System." As she said those words, Usagi recalled what had been said before…that the Zodiac, themselves, originated from the Sol System, but their powers…didn't? It still didn't make any more sense then before, so Mei simply continued. "Our Sailor Crystals were born in the Constellations we represent; but, for the sake of our mission, Queen Selenity took our crystals from the Cauldron and implanted them in those that she chose to become the Zodiac. So…we were placed with a power and a personality…different from what we were before. Some of us did not change much…many of us did. Myself…" She paused as her voice gained a bit of a solemn tone, "…I progressively found myself delving into sin and lust. According to the journals my former self kept, I thought I was going mad. After a long, and very painful process, I changed from the person I once was…into Sailorscorpio." Slowly, those words began to sink into Usagi's head as she made heads and tails of it. It didn't take her long to realize the implications Mei had said within that statement.

It made sense now….

…But Usagi did not like it.

"That's horrible!!" She exclaimed as she grabbed Mei's arm, "That's so horrible! That you and everyone else in the Zodiac…that you all were _forced _into servitude of my Mother! That…that you were forced to change into someone you weren't meant to be!! I can't…I can't believe she would do such a thing--!!" Usagi was about to continue to protest, but Mei lifted her fingers to press against Usagi's lips, silencing her.

"You misunderstand," She said in a calm voice, "Each of us…we knew what would happen should we accept. We all knew that we could potentially change into someone completely different. We would…loose our old selves. But we also knew the good that would come from it." A smile returned again to her lips, "We were willing to throw our old selves away to protect those we were destined to protect; our beloved Princesses. Usagi-_dono_…no…Princess Serenity…" She fully turned to Usagi and placed her hands gently on the girl's shoulders, while still skillfully holding the umbrella between her fingers. She leaned down and looked Usagi square in the eyes. "…I regret _nothing_. Even my old self, even as she became something she despised…she and I…we _both _understood what we would gain. A meaning to our lives. A Princess to protect, a Princes that could help to aid the molding of the Universe. Ask any of the others, and they will all tell you the same thing. While we lost our old selves…we gained _everything _in return."

Usagi never thought that the Senshi of Lust and Desire would be saying these things, saying them with such strength and conviction. In those hazy black eyes, those warming eyes of Mei's, she could see strength and determination in them. It wasn't a mistake. It wasn't horrible. Her mother, Queen Selenity…she knew what would happen, and if it were not for that…well, many of Usagi's friends would have been dead by now because of the Deathbusters…and who knew what else would have happened?

"I-…I see…" She smiled up at Mei and placed her hands on the older woman's. "My mother wasn't wrong to do that…and…Mei…your old self? It's still in you. This maturity, this warm feeling I feel when I look at you…its still there, hidden away. I can see it! I…I think maybe…you didn't completely _loose _who you once were…but maybe, you joined together with _both _personalities to make who you are today! Right?"

Mei appeared to be taken aback by this comment, then slowly smiled at the younger girl. She turned her hand upwards and gently held Usagi's, lowering them down so they hung slack at Usagi's waist. Then, she did something unexpected. Suddenly, Mei leaned forward and brought her lips to Usagi's own in a soft, yet warm and inviting kiss. Usagi was so shocked, so surprised, she had no idea to react. Just like all of those times Haruka had kissed her before…This…it felt no different. It was warm, but at the same time, she could feel that pain, that sorrow that Haruka had always held, before she knew Haruka was Sailoruranus. Usagi almost pitied this woman now…

Softly, Mei pulled away and smiled at the petite girl, giving her hands a squeeze. "I can see why he loves you so much."

"…Loved…you mean…" Usagi spoke with a dark and sorrowful tone, looking away from Mei and down towards the ground. Reaching out, Mei gently took Usagi's chin and lifted it up, so the duo could see directly into each other's eyes.

"No. _Loves_." She corrected, "Endymion is still alive, inside of you. He may not have a physical form, his soul may have vanished somewhere dark and distant, but he is _in _you, Usagi-_dono_. Love like that never dies, even if the other person does."

"…You're right…" Usagi sighed and smiled weakly, "I'll…remember his love, and use it to guide me to him again." Mei nodded her head and the two smiled at each other, before continuing walking. "Say, Mei-san…have you ever loved before?" Mei stopped walking and snorted in response, causing Usagi to blink and gaze back at the much taller woman.

"Love…?" She inquired and continued walking, her pace much brisker then the leisurely stroll the pair had been walking at, Usagi hurrying to catch up with Mei. "I don't know what it is to feel it. All I've ever done is flirt and hit on and have sex with people. I've never needed it before, and I've never felt it before…so I can't say…"

"That's horrible!" Usagi wailed, "I mean, not even one person?"

"No, never."

"How awful…" Usagi looked up at Mei with a concerned look on her face, "I mean…a life…a life without love is a terrible life to have! Surly, you must have--" It took another moment for Usagi to realize who Scorpio protected, from her description of her past self. "…What of…what about Pluto?!"

"I…would not know…" Mei seemed distant and distraught as she spoke those words.

"Didn't you feel anything when she--" Usagi couldn't even finish the sentence.

"It hurt…a lot…" Mei continued, her pace slowed as she gazed down towards the wet pavement below her boots, "…And now…I feel like I don't have a reason or a purpose to live…now that she's gone…"

"That's love!" Usagi exclaimed with a bright smile on her face.

"…Is it really?" Mei laughed hollowly and shook her head, "Can you tell me then, Usagi-_dono_, what is it…to love…?"

Usagi was more then ready to pour her heart out to Mei, about the wonders of what it was to love, to be loved, and to be with the person you loved more then anything. Ready to teach this lonesome woman what it was like, what it meant, what it _felt _like, when a loud crack of thunder clapped across the sky, startling the poor girl…but that wasn't what caught her attention. In the back of her mind, she felt nothing but darkness, a great darkness approaching from behind. Gasping, she snapped her head around behind her. A flash of lighting occurred, revealing the strange woman that Gemini had warned them about standing on top of a lamp-post near by. Her cackle echoed across the sky, silencing the crowds around them.

"It's her!!" Usagi exclaimed as she shifted her weight around. However, her eyes widened in both shock and terror as she saw the outfit the woman wore for the first time. Articles…all over her body of previously defeated enemies! The black Star of the Deathbusters, the inversed Crescent Moon of the Black Moon Clan, the mark of Queen Nehellenia…and the bracelets that symbolized a member of Galaxia's army! More over…this woman… "A Sailor Senshi?!" She exclaimed.

"Ah, so you've _finally_ noticed!" The Evil Senshi held her hand out and called forth her short wand and twirled it in her hands, "But frankly, I'm getting _sick _of your silly banter about _love _and _romance _with a being that is _clearly _incapable of feeling such an emotion!!"

"What?! Mei is--"

"She is correct, Usagi-_dono_," Mei said as she folded her umbrella up and tossing it aside, "I feel nothing more then lust and desire…it's my position as a Zodiac, right?" Grinning, she reached for a silver necklace that Usagi had not noticed before; hanging from it was a black ankh symbol, etched with the symbol of Scorpio on it. Pulling the necklace off, she raised it to the air and shouted, "Scorpio Constellation Power, Make-Up!"

Removing her hands from the glowing item, which had since turned orange, Mei rapidly and elegantly moved her hands out towards her sides, flicking her wrists as she tilted her head backwards, her body glowing a bright orange color. A ring of inter-changing orange and yellow light formed below her feet, small beams of light flashing up in increments, giving almost a strobe-like effect to Mei as she moved again. She slowly turned towards the side and folded her arms across her breasts in an almost seductive manor, winking as light fully consumed her. Suddenly, the light abruptly shattered revealing Mei as being Sailorscorpio, lifting her gloved hands above her head as a simple, black spear formed between them. Twirling it rapidly and spinning once, she struck a pose with it poised behind her, the point aimed on an angle towards the ground.

Seeing Sailorscorpio for the first time, Usagi could certainly tell that she was the Senshi of Lust. She wore a thick and angled bangle on her neck, forming a v shape, lined with bright orange as a bright orange collar rested over her shoulder. As for her bodice, there was little covering Scorpio's sensual flesh. It was almost completely open in the back, dipping down to her lower-back, with thin black lace criss-crossing her muscular back, starting at her waist and until where the fabric ended behind her. Meanwhile, the front of the black silk bodice barely covered her ample bust, having a huge slit down the middle, exposing a great deal of cleavage and all of her stomach, connecting to a normal-styled yellow belt at her waist. Between the opening in the front was laced together with criss-crossing all the way down. The edge in both the front opening and the back was also lined with bright orange.

Her skirt was black and unpleased, and so short it barely covered her privet area, with an open slit over the front of her left thigh, giving off a nice view of the skimpy black panties Scorpio wore. Along the bottom of the skirt was a thick, orange stripe. Scorpio wore thick, black leather boots up to her mid-thigh, split up the center with the tongue being yellow, with bright orange clips across the tongue. A thick roll of orange flopped over the top of her boots, suggesting that the inside was orange. High, pointy stiletto heels came out from the bottom of her boots. Finally, she wore black leather gloves just past the elbow, with a roll of orange folded over the top, similar to her boots, with thick golden bangles across her biceps with orange strips forming a v in the front. All in all, it was revealing and sexy, and displayed the sheer amount of muscles Scorpio possessed.

"Mmm...well, this is going to be interesting…" Scorpio purred, "But, no matter what happens…I'll make sure your raging lust will match my own, tootsie. Then maybe you can un-tighten your panties for me, love…!"

Usagi store at Scorpio. She was…almost a different person then Mei entirely. She watched as Scorpio licked her lips and rushed towards the Evil Senshi, leaping up into the air and bringing her spear point towards the mysterious, pink-clad enemy.

"Scorpio Dark Seduction!" From her spear came a wave of dark energy. She watched as it hit her opponent, who stood there for a moment as Scorpio approached. Scorpio twisted her spear and aimed it towards the strange woman's chest. However, instead of doing what the attack name suggested, the Evil Senshi merely smirked and raised her wand towards Scorpio.

"Really? Did you _honestly _think that attack would have any effect on me?!" the Evil Senshi cackled as she lifted her wrists up, holding her hands in a similar fashion that the Animamates displayed when attacking, or stealing Sailorcrystals. Usagi gasped as she recognized the posture and rushed towards Sailorscorpio.

"Scorpio, watch--!"

"Galactica Shadow Web!" Usagi couldn't even get her warning out as the Evil Senshi released her attack. Scorpio's spear tip just barely touched her opponents breast as a web of blue, negative energy shot out from the glowing crystals of the bracelets the other Senshi wore. Those black eyes of Scorpio's, always heavy lidded and somehow vacant, widened with both shock and pain as the web forced itself against her skin and shot her backwards. She crashed against a wall, directly behind Usagi, where the web gave sparks of energy.

Scorpio screamed.

Usagi's heart was in her throat as she watched in horror as the web of negative energy shot wave after wave of pain through her new-found companion. The sound of energy shocking her, the screams she displayed; the evil cackle that resonated directly behind her. She couldn't think; she couldn't breathe. All of what was happening around her disappeared into the torrent of confusion and the pain of loss that she had been feeling recently. Too many of her friends were dying, and she hardly had the strength to face it…

"Cancer Crushing Force!"

"Gemini Split Storm!"

The cackling of the Evil Senshi stopped as two attacks were shot in her direction. Usagi could hear the entire structure she was standing upon explode behind her, but did not turn her eyes in that direction. Her eyes remained fixated upon Scorpio as she rushed towards her still-trapped companion, reaching out with her hands and touching the web. A sharp, shocking pain ripped through her system as she shrieked, pulling her hands away from it.

"D-don't worry a-about me…" Scorpio hissed between clenched teeth.

"But Scoprio…!!" Usagi protested, ready to go and try and rip the entire web off of her when she felt a soft hand place itself upon her shoulder. Turning her head, Usagi saw Sailorcapricorn standing over her with a concerned expression upon her face. "Capricorn…?"

Sailorcapricorn said nothing as she approached the web. Carefully, she reached through the holes and gently took a hold of Sailorscorpio's spear. Given the other Zodiac's weakened state, it easily slipped out of her leather-clad hand and fell into Capricorn's own. Using the tip of it, she sliced through the energy web, freeing Scorpio from her binds. The once-trapped Zodiac fell forward into Capricorns arms and groaned loudly, just as the energy web dissipated into thin air.

"…H-how…forward of you, love…" Scorpio still had it in her as she grimaced, her entire weight resting comfortably against the slightly taller, armor-clad Soldier of the Forests. Capricorn only chuckled and eased herself to the ground, gently laying the weakened Soldier against the concrete. Usagi gasped and quickly rushed to Scorpio's side, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. Scorpio turned her head and grinned at Usagi, reaching a shaken hand up and touching her face gently, softly caressing it as tears flowed from Usagi's bright blue eyes. "Please, Usagi-_dono_, don't cry for me…I've been through worse pain before…"

"Oh God, I'm so sorry!" Usagi apologized profusely, "If I had only thought, or warned you, or _reacted_, you wouldn't be so--!"

Scorpio chuckled and continued to gently caress the distraught girl's face. "…Please…whose lap am I laying in?" She glanced up towards Capricorn and winked at her, who only smiled in response. It took Usagi a few moments to remember that Capricorn had the ability to draw life energy from the nature that surrounded her; granted, there wasn't a whole lot to draw from in this situation, but there were trees and such scattered about the streets. Usagi jerked her head up to look at Capricorn, who looked in her direction to smile at her.

"Usagi-chan, there is more then enough energy to revitalize Sailorscorpio." Her voice was as soft and kind as it ever was. "Though it seems you see the other side of her that most others do not…am I right, Usagi-chan?" Those blue eyes of Usagi's blinked as she wiped away the tears from her eyes, looking up at the elegant Capricorn, before smiling up at her and nodding her head. "That is good. She could use more friends."

"Psh…who needs friends when you've got _sex?_" Scorpio commented with a weakened laugh, though doing such a task only brought more pain to her system as she groaned outwardly. Capricorn continued to smile sweetly, though Usagi couldn't help but to blink her eyes repeatedly and turn bright red at the comment. It was just what Scorpio wanted, who winked up at her. "You're so cute when you blush…" Slowly, she turned her head towards Capricorn, "…And when are you going to actually do the _healing_? I'm kind of in pain here."

"Oh, right." Capricorn slowly stood up and held her hands outwards, slowly and elegantly raising them upwards. "Forest of Life!" Green energy entered into Scorpio and revitalized her energy, and she soon quickly got to her feet and whisked up her spear. Cracking her shoulders and stretching her arms above her head, she groaned loudly.

"Ah, that's better…" She sighed contently, "…And once we're done with this battle…I'll just _have _to find some _decent _way of _repaying_ you for all of this..." It was unaware who she was addressing this sentence to; whether it was Capricorn for healing her, or for Usagi who was just so damn adorable. Her voice was a deep and sultry tone and was clear that it was meant to be a rather _seductive _statement…and the mere _possibilities _dripping within the context made Usagi turn bright red with embarrassment. Capricorn, however, seemed totally unaffected by this statement. Perhaps because of her past experiences, Usagi pondered, or maybe she just wasn't as easily flustered as she, herself, was. But, there wasn't much time for floating around within her flustered state, wasn't there? As addressed by Scorpio; "Ladies, I do believe we have a _fight _to get involved with." Capricorn nodded her head and rushed forward with Scorpio. Shaking her head several times, Usagi tossed her embarrassment away and plucked her broach from her bow.

"Moon Eternal, Make-Up!!"

"Dead Moon Revenge!!" While the happy-fun-times where occurring between Usagi, Sailorcapricorn and Sailorscorpio, the battle waged on between the Evil Senshi, Sailorgemini and Sailorcancer. Already, several chunks of the buildings surrounding their battle grounds had been blown away; the cement of the streets torn apart; and a few bystanders quite dead from the onslaught. Sailorcancer was showing obvious signs of fatigue, her fuku torn in some places and one of her arms was bleeding profusely. She was having difficulty breathing at this point, and was trying to regain her composure to resume the battle. Sailorgemini, however, still seemed to be going strong, though it was clear that she had a disadvantage against the Evil Senshi.

With the attack screamed, the marking on the Evil Senshi's upper right arm flashed a dark shade of blue as a massive cyclone of blue-and-pink energy shot out from the symbol and aimed directly towards Gemini. In return, Gemini gritted her teeth together and thrust her arms outwards, countering with her own cyclone of wind and lightning. Although they seemed evenly matched within the power department, Gemini's own energy was easily countered by her opponents, the torrent of energy striking against the Split Senshi and exploding with a fury of negative energy, sending her back several feet with her arms raised, protecting her face from the blast. Noticeable dings and cuts sliced into the gauntlets she wore, displaying the kind of power that was behind the blast. A thin trail of blood slid down her face as she continued to grit her teeth together. A Russian word slipped between her pursed lips that could have only been a curse as she slowly lowered her arms.

The Evil Senshi cackled as she lowered to the ground again. "Poor, _pitiful_ Gemini…" She said in a mocking baby voice, "…_All_ alone in the world! _Rejected _by your Queen…_Ignored _by your fellows…oh…" A devious grin formed across her lips as she continued, "…And do I _need _mention _Leo _not returning your _undying _love…?" Gemini obviously did not like that statement at all. Her expression turned into one of pure rage and anger as her teeth gritted together, her fists clenching so tightly that blood began to seep from between her fingers. "…Oh, did I hit a _sore spot_, little Gemini…?"

"…You…" She hissed between clenched teeth, "…_Fucking…**BITCH!!**_" The last phrase was screamed at the tops of her lungs, lighting exploded around her and the wind suddenly picked up at that very time, symbolizing the pure rage she felt at this very moment. She lunged forward, fists drawn with lighting surged around them, ready to teach this bitch the lesson of her life! The crazed Sailorgemini threw punch after punch at the offending Evil Senshi before her, each punch more rage-induced and crazed then ever. But each swing missed, and even every bolt of lighting or gust of wind was deflected and knocked away by the skilled Senshi in Pink. That cocky grin continued to spread further and further across her tan lips as Gemini continued to fly into fits of rage, and in doing so, loosing her concentration.

"Please!" The Evil Senshi chuckled as she continued to parry off attacks, "All of this _fuss _over a _broken heart?_ You're _hardly_ the threat you were before right now!"

"Shutup, _shutup_, _SHUTUP!!_" Gemini continued to scream, clearly not realizing that her rage was getting the best of her. Chuckling again, the Evil Senshi raised her wand before her.

"Shadow Buster!" She screamed as a black star shot from the orb on the wand, catching Sailorgemini off guard and sending her backwards and into a building, where the star promptly exploded, sending several layers of rock over the Senshi of Storms.

"Gemini!" Came Sailormoon's voice as she, Capricorn and Scorpio arrived on the scene.

"Oh, look, the Calvary has arrived!" The Evil Senshi mocked, laughing evilly. "A little too late for your friends!"

"Cancer!!" Sailorcapricorn gasped as she rushed towards her wounded friend, who knelt on the ground, barely able to catch her breath at that point. However, a shot of dark energy stabbed itself below her feet, stopping her in her tracks. Her head snapped up towards the Evil Senshi, a dark glare forming across her otherwise beautiful features.

"Why bother helping your little _lover_, you poser!" The Evil Senshi screeched as she pointed her wand down towards Sailorcapricorn, "When you're going to _die _in a few seconds!!" There was obviously some kind of hidden rage or history between the Evil Senshi and Sailorcapricorn, as both of them store at each other with unrivaled intensity and anger. With a loud scream, the Evil Senshi aimed her wand down towards Capricorn, "I'll make you _suffer _for what you did!! Corrupted Soul!!" With that, a massive cyclone of black and blue energy shot down directly towards Capricorn.

"Capricorn…!" Sailorcancer managed to wheeze, through clenched teeth. She slowly pushed herself up to her feet and stumbled over to the steadfast Senshi in Green, but was unable to make it that far before the attack hit her. Sailormoon gasped loudly and rushed over towards the pair, her moon Tier clutched tightly within her hands. She expected the worst of the situation, that yet another friend of hers was dead. The power that the Evil Senshi held was far above any of their abilities…and with an attack fueled by her anger hitting dead on, Capricorn would have surly…!

"Look…" Scorpio said as she pointed towards the swirling twister of energy that threatened to consume the entire street. Instead of moving on to devour everything else within its path, the attack simply…stopped. Standing there, right before, them was Capricorn, her arms held out towards her sides as green energy coiled around her. Could she be drawing this energy from the Earth, or was it another ability she had not yet revealed?

Suddenly, she snapped her arms to the skies and shouted, "Capricorn Seasonal Eclipse!" The energy surrounding her shot out from her in multiple beams of light, piercing through the attack before her and disbursing it, reaching the form of the Evil Senshi before her. Her opponent gasped loudly and quickly recoiled, managing to avoid several of the attacks, but many more struck her and ripped through the flesh of her arms. She let out a startled cry of pain and quickly recoiled, leaping back upon another lamp post, clutching her festering wounds.

"God damnit!!" She shouted angrily through gritted teeth. Sailormoon quickly rushed over towards Capricorn and placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"…What was that…?" Capricorn flinched and quickly kneeled down to wrap her arms around the struggling Cancer, though her serious expression did not fade. It took a moment for her to respond as she helped her leader up to her feet, allowing the much smaller girl to lean against her.

"…Look at the trees…" Was all that she said. Gasping, Sailormoon looked around towards all of the tree's lining the streets. Once lush and green, every one of them had their energy sapped from them, their leaves turned brown and slowly dropping towards the ground. The ones furthest away from Capricorn still had their leaves, some of them still green, while those directly beside her were most likely dead. She had taken all of the energy of the Earth to drive off the attack…and would not be able to attack again.

A strange thought entered Sailormoon's mind. Why did Capricorn have to draw energy from the life around her, instead of from her Sailor Crystal…?

"Now is not a time to be daydreaming." Came Sailorscorpio's voice, drawing Sailormoon away from the stray thought that had wandered into her mind. Lifting her Tier up, she pointed it towards Sailorcancer.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" If Sailorcapricorn had no way to heal everyone else within the battle without permanently scarring the Earth, Sailormoon certainly could. Her energy rushed forth from her Tier and entered into Cancer, healing most of her major wounds, though she was still pretty beaten up. With that, it was four against one now and the Evil Senshi was wounded as well. Hopefully, if they timed their attacks just right, they might be able to take her down!

No sooner did the rest of the Senshi get together, that the pile of rubble Sailorgemini had been blown into exploded with a fury of lightning and her enraged scream. Surprisingly, she wasn't as beaten up as Sailormoon had expected her to be; maybe it was because Gemini was very resilient. Growling deeply, Gemini stalked over towards the remaining Senshi and clenched her fists.

"Gemini…" Cancer said quietly as she eyed her, "…We need to form a group attack in order to defeat her. Will you help us?" Gemini narrowed her eyes and snapped her head towards the quartet beside her, those split-colored hues of hers dangerously narrowing, her attention returning towards the Evil Senshi. Silently, she nodded her head. Cancer sighed and lifted herself from Capricorn's grasp and turned her attention towards Sailormoon. "Princess, we need time to prepare. Could you distract her long enough?"

"I-I think so."

"Good."

Sailormoon gathered her confidence together as she stepped forward, away from the group of Zodiac. She knew what kind of power they held together, as a group, and even with Cancer and Gemini weakened from their full power…just the thought of what their combined force, with Gemini there, was enough to give her confidence within what she was doing. Reaching her Tier out, she held her palm out and placed it on the bottom of the small wand.

"Silver Moon…!" She shouted, lowering her hand as the wand extended out towards the length of a staff. Golden light began to gather at the top of the weapon, flashing brightly. Just enough to distract the Evil Senshi from what the other Zodiac where doing. However, before Sailormoon could finish the attack phrase, the Evil Senshi was right in front of her.

"Don't even try…I won't fall for _that _again!!" She shouted. Sailormoon gasped and dropped the Moon Tier on the ground as a cold and twisted smirk formed across the Evil Senshi's face. She raised her wand and aimed the point down towards Sailormoon's chest. "_Die._"

Before the sharpened point of the wand entered into Sailormoon's breast, she found herself flying towards the side and crashing against the ground, skidding across the concrete. The pain of her skin grating against the ground caused her to hiss in pain, before she realized what had happened. Her eyes snapped open to see who had pushed her out of the way, though she saw something she didn't want to see.

Scorpio had been the one to react to Sailormoon's position. However, due to how quickly the Evil Senshi had moved, she was unable to get out of the way. The wand was buried in her gut, just below her breasts, the point sticking out through her back. Blood began to flow from the corner of her mouth as her form slowly slipped off of the blood-drenched wand, collapsing against the ground below her. Blood squirted from the gaping wound within her abdomen, and flowed out onto the rain-drenched ground below her feet. Blood mixed with water, and water began to ran down towards the streets, making their way towards Sailormoon's pure white gloves.

And everything around her simply stopped.

Once again, she found her heart within her throat. Time began to slow down as her eyes followed the trail of fresh blood towards her shaken hands. Her breath began to quicken up, nearly to the point of hyperventilating. As she saw the blood began to become absorbed through the fabric of her gloves, slowly moving up from the palms of her hands towards her wrists, it dawned on her. Scorpio had thrown herself into harms way…just to save her!

"_Scorpio!!_" Sailormoon cried out as she hurried over towards her fallen friend, scrambling across the wet cement and quickly plucking the pale girl's head up into her arms. Sailorscorpio was still alive, but just barely. Her breathing was slow and weak as Sailormoon looked down at her, her eyes streaming with tears that washed away within the rain. Slowly, Scorpio smiled and reached a weak hand up to touch Sailormoon's face.

"Usagi-_dono_…" Her voice was weak and horse as she spoke, "…I finally…understand what it means to love…what Pluto saw in you is what love is…and what…I felt for her is…what it means to love someone…"

"P-please, don't talk!!" Sailormoon sobbed, lowering her head down to touch against Scorpio's own, "J-just save your strength!! We'll get you through this! We _have _to…!"

"…Princess…" Scorpio's breathing became more and more labored as the moments past, blood readily flowing from her mouth as she spoke, "…I feel…as if my life has finally been…fulfilled…please, do not be sad…death is only the beginning." That smile returned to her as Sailormoon shook her head rapidly, though unable to speak as her crying had gotten too rapid, her chest heaving and gasping for breath as she cried. "…This…is what she would have wanted...f-for you to…be safe…But without Pluto…I-I have no meaning…"

"D-don't…d-don't t-talk like that…" Usagi gasped as she clung closer towards the dying Zodiac Senshi. "E-everything…w-will be f-fine!!"

"Princess…you…are loved by all…n-never…f-forget…" Slowly, Scorpio raised a shaken, blood stained hand towards the grief-stricken face of Sailormoon, softly tracing the contours of her face. A smile shone brightly against those dark-colored lips of hers, showing all of the warmth and the love she must have felt within that very moment, the love she had for the Princess that Pluto adored more then anything in the world. In that moment, she understood what it meant to be loved this deeply; and within that moment, she breathed her last breath and fell limp within Sailormoon's arms, her hand dropping to the ground just as a crack of thunder rolled across the sky.

Sailormoon's tears stopped falling as she store down at the lifeless body of Sailorscorpio. She softly shook it, "Scorpio…?" She whispered breathlessly, shaking Scorpio's corpse once again, "Scorpio?!" Her breathing picked up as she continued to shake Scorpio, as if doing so would somehow awaken her fallen comrade, her fallen ally…and her new friend up from the eternal sleep she had fallen into. "_SCORPIO!!_" Sailormoon screamed as she clutched the Senshi of Lust's head towards her chest.

Kneeling next to her was Sailorcancer, her hands holding tightly onto one of the limp hands of Scorpio. She, too, was shaken by the death of one of her comrades, regardless of how ill-mannered she was within the flirting department. It wasn't known if she was crying or not, given the downpour of rain falling from the skies, but she was clearly upset by this.  The usually kind and soft face of Cancer began to twist into a look of pure disgust and hatred. It was a rare emotion for someone like her to wear, but when it came to her Senshi…

"You…" Her usually soft and timid voice boiled with anger, her gaze lifting up towards the Evil Senshi, "…_Bitch!!"_ That small frame of Cancer shot to her feet as her eyes glared dangerously towards the Evil Senshi. "How could you do something like this?! Didn't you ever _care _for her?!" As those words fell from her mouth, it didn't make sense to Sailorcancer. Almost like words from the past that she did not remember had voiced themselves within her throat. For an instant, those fierce blue eyes of hers met with the pink eyes of the woman before her. Between them, an unspoken bond could be felt, one which seamed to waver the Evil Senshi's resolve, even for just a moment. The darkness fled from her eyes as Sailorcancer store her down, but it quickly returned as she smirked.

"It's not my fault she _got in the way_." She gave a shrug of her shoulders, "Besides, isn't she a _shame _to your team? Wouldn't you be better off if she had _died_ anyway?!" The anger within Cancer began to grow, and it quickly spread to Capricorn. She, too, felt pained at the loss of one of the valuable members of their team, regardless of how…well, _different _she was, to put it lightly. "Why should _she _get all of your love, your attention?! She doesn't _deserve _it!! Not a creature of _lust_ who cares _nothing _for bonds, trust and romance!" There was something about this situation, at how angry she felt because of how strong and defensive they were of Scorpio, even if she was nothing but a whore, that _bothered _the Evil Senshi in some way. Sailormoon saw not darkness within the eyes of her enemy, but…something else. She was not sure what it was, but there was much more going on with this woman then meets the eye. Standing as well, Capricorn stood before the corpse of Sailorscorpio, and the still shaken Sailormoon, standing before her leader.

"Regardless…Sailorscorpio was one of us, and fought for the same goals," Capricorn's voice did not show such anger as Cancer's did, but it was still fierce and intense, "We will not allow you to get away with her death!!"

"You and I are so alike…" Gemini's voice echoed, though she did not say anything more. At that moment, the hearts of the three Zodiac where united. Although Sailorgemini did not say anything at that moment, their energies began to intermingle with one another, gathering together in an array of prismatic colors. Even the solitary and angry Gemini wanted this woman to be defeated, though her reasons for it were a bit of a mystery. With all of their bottled up rage and contempt for this woman boiled over, they all shouted in unison;

"Kaleidoscope Rainbow Distortion!"

With that, the combined spectrum of their auras formed together in a massive, rainbow arch that aimed itself towards the Evil Senshi. A cold sneer could be seen upon her face as the energy shot towards her. She took a step back and stepped onto the ground, flipping a fallen object up into the air before her. Grabbing it, she chucked it at the energy and leapt backwards, the gathered energy of the Zodiac striking the object and exploding in a massive wave of rainbow-colored energy.

Once the blinding light of the attack died down, shards of whatever it was that the Evil Senshi had used to fend off the attack began to fall to the ground, almost like white ash falling from the sky. The grimacing form of their enemy could be seen from beyond the debris that the attack had created, completely unharmed by the attack.

It only took Sailormoon a few moments to realize that something crucial of hers was missing from the battle field, and that fragments of it now lay upon the ground.

Her blue eyes widened in terror as she realized that the object that had been destroyed was none other then her Moon Tier…the very weapon she needed in order to perform her attacks.

"…Oh no…!"

The raging cackle of the Evil Senshi could be heard even above the loud claps of thunder rolling across the darkened sky above them. It was more then she had hopped for! Not only was Sailormoon now powerless, but one of those god-damned Zodiac where out of the way.

"Looks like the tables have turned in _my _favor!" She snorted and pulled some of her wet hair away from her face. "Ah, and I _do _hope you're _quite_ finished with Scorpio's corpse…because I'm going to take it now!" With a mad chuckle, she flicked her wrists out in front of her, holding them up in the same fashion that those of the Shadow Galactica did…and Sailormoon knew all too well what was to happen next. Instead of firing golden blasts of energy from the bracelets she wore, the Evil Senshi sent out silver-colored ones instead, ripping the orange-colored Sailor Crystal from within Scorpio's breast. The Crystal floated over to her where she grasped the glowing item within her hands, and with that, Scorpio's body exploded into a flurry of sparkles, slowly dissipating within the rain. Sailormoon looked down at her empty, blood-stained arms.

How could she…?

A word that could only be assumed to be a Russian swear word hissed between Sailorgemini's clenched teeth, her hands balling up into tight fists. Lighting began to spark around her fists, and suddenly, the weather up above began to change. The rain suddenly stopped, without warning, and the skies above began to flash with bright streaks of lighting, and loud, deep rumbles of thunder. The clouds began to shift colors and churn amongst themselves just as the wind began to pick up and beat heavily around them. It was like the doorways to Hell had begun to open up within Earth's sky…

"Oh-ho?" The Evil Senshi grinned and tilted her head to the side, "Trying to pull something dastardly, are we?"

A cold and twisted smirk played across Gemini's face as she glared at the pink-clad Senshi in front of her, "I'll drag you down to the depths of hell _myself_, bitch! Final--!"

"Gemini, don't!!" Sailorcancer lept to her feet and grabbed one of Gemini's sparking arms, only to be smacked back with the force of the lightning and the brutish Senshi of Storm's strength as well. She flew backwards into a near-by lamp post, denting it considerably before slumping to the ground.

"Cancer!" Capricorn quickly rushed to the aid of her friend, her attention turning back towards Gemini. "Gemini, if you release your full power now, you'll _die _and kill _everyone else _in the entire section!!"

"If it means dragging this bitch down with me, I'll do whatever it takes!! None of you can stop me from doing this!" The resolve that Sailorgemini held was impressive. Even if this last-ditch attack would end up taking her own life, as long as it got rid of the Evil Senshi, she was willing to throw it aside and cast it asunder. Lifting her hands up, she started to shout, "Final--!"

Once again, she was cut off, this time by Sailormoon reaching up and grabbing one of Gemini's hands with her own blood-stained ones. Sailorgemini halted in calling out the attack name to look down at Sailormoon's sorrowful eyes. For an instant, her resolved wavered. It trembled as she looked into those deep, pitying eyes.

"Please…" Sailormoon begged, her voice shaking as she spoke, "…Please, I can't bare the thought of loosing someone else…"

Those eyes…god damn those eyes! They were so similar to Queen Selenity's soft, kind eyes…and it always somehow drove fear and uncertainty into Sailorgemini. The skies began to stop churning and the wind died down, just as the rain began to fall once again. Gemini's arms lowered down as she averted her gaze away from those deeply sorrowful eyes.

"…I'm becoming too weak…" She scoffed to herself.

"No…you're just becoming kinder…" Sailormoon said with a bright smile up towards Gemini, who only sneered and turned away. Sighing, she lowered her hands and store at the blood-drenched ground, watching as the signs of Scorpio's life slowly filter away with the rain, draining down towards the sewers below. Her eyes slowly traced their way up from the grooves and cracks of the cement, towards the fragments of her Moon Tier. Still following the grooves of the cement, she discovered not a pair of boots not too far away from them, but even more cement.

"She's gone," Sailorcapricorn said as she helped Sailorcancer to her feet. There was a long, drawn out silence that flowed between the quartet of Sailorsenshi as the store in the area their enemy had been standing only moments before, recollecting on the situation.

Scorpio was dead, just like her Princess. More over, Sailormoon was rendered powerless as her weapon had been destroyed. It was almost too much for anyone to handle within only a short amount of time, but they had to hold their pain in, for now. There would be a proper time and place for mourning…but with a powerful enemy growing stronger with every moment they hesitated, it was difficult to both mourn for those who had died…and to focus on the battle at hand.

Finally, after a long moment, Sailorcancer spoke.

"I wonder…what lays ahead of us now…"

Click click click.

Footsteps echoed down the vacant hallways at the Citadel within the Tau Ceti system. Not very many still resided within these hollow, blood-stained corridors; corridors that, at one point, had been bustling with Daimon life. The few that entered within this dark and forbidden realm would find themselves screaming and crying for mercy, to be quickly killed before the pain would become too much for them to handle. Slowly their bodies would be destroyed to the delight of the few that still lived within these walls, and their Hoste absorbed and taken, offered up to their dark Master…or for one of the many projects being worked upon by one of the few surviving members of the Death Busters…the mysterious Red-eyed Woman.

The owner of the heels that clicked down the hallways was none other then the Evil Senshi, her eyes gazing upon the handy work painted in blood red against the elegantly carved stone walls residing on either side of her. While most torture to the poor mortals they feasted upon were contained within separate rooms…sometimes, they would try to escape and the sick, sadistic owners of this Citadel would chase them down and stain the walls and the floors with their crimson life-fluid…and sometimes with a bit more.

She grimaced as she stepped into something very soft and squishy, lifting her boot up do discover a piece of someone's brain laying right there on the floor, with a nice imprint from her heels resting upon it's wrinkled surface.

"Damn…it's going to take _forever _for me to get the matter off of my boots!" She complained to no one in particular as she scraped some of it off on the floor besides the brain, quickly stepping over it and continuing on her way.

Down the hallway, and turning to her right, lead the Evil Senshi into a wide and vast corridor, completely spotless of the human filth that littered most of the other hallways she had past through. The darkness that lingered within the empty halls light up quite a bit – though it was still dark by anyone's standards – and lead into a large throne room. Well, it wasn't _really _a throne room; it was the room where the massive Taorian Crystal had once resided, and where the Death Busters would send their energy and praise to Pharaoh 90.

Now, only shards of the once mighty Taorian Crystal littered the empty floors. It was here that their revived Master would find himself, collecting the pieces of the crystal and trying to rebuild what had been lost during the last battle with the Senshi.

And there he stood. Silent and alone, with his back facing the Evil Senshi. His long, bright silver hair fell down to the backs of his knees, tied back with loose tape at his shoulders. His garb was fairly simple for the Leader of the Deathbusters, in a drab tan color with a brown scarf wrapped around his neck. A torn, black piece of fabric hung from his waist and connected to brown pants, tied off with black tape. Pharaoh 90's skin was an unearthly color, almost like a combination of dried parchment and that of a cadaver. He was extremely tall and rather built as well, and simply radiated the presence of a leader. Black tribal tattoos ran down his bandage-covered forearms as he stood in the center of the room.

The Evil Senshi could not tell what he was doing or what he was looking at, due to the position he stood in. But the presence he simply held was commanding and powerful; even she could recognize it within him, and not even by hearing him speak. Slowly, she fell to the ground in a kneeling position before Pharaoh 90, her eyes closed as she waited for him to speak.

"…So, you are now reporting to _me _instead of _Eudial_?" He questioned without moving, his voice as powerful and as commanding as the aura he held. The Evil Senshi nodded her head, even though he could not see her.

"Yes," She stated, "I find that Eudial is weak and driven by the madness and revenge that has built up in her mind since the last time the Sailor Senshi interfered with our plans. You, however, are as strong as you were…and I find you much more…_sensible_. You know what it is you want and you know exactly how to get it, and most of all, you are one who could earn my respect…unlike _her._"

Clearly, Pharaoh 90 was not amused by this as his arms folded over his chest and he turned around to face the Evil Senshi, those cold and intense eyes of his piercing through the darkness and into her very soul. Just that one glance sent chills running down her spine, something that was not very easy to do in a person like her. Those tattoos that ran around his eyes seemed to pulsate with the same energy his eyes held, further sending a sharp pain of his commanding presence down to her. Grimacing, she lowered her head down even more.

"M-more over…" The Evil Senshi had to try and regain her composure, "She is far to obsessed with her own experimentations and torturing humans before taking their Hoste to actually become a _true _leader, unlike yourself. You have strength and conviction on your side." Still, those cold eyes did not leave her form. Re-gathering herself before talking again, she continued, "Besides, I come baring good news for you, _Master_." Knowing that the word appealed to Pharaoh 90, she laid on the accents heavily, though found herself growing sick to her stomach to refer to _anyone _as her 'Master.' But, if it would earn his trust in the end, she would have to swallow the bile that threatened to build up in the back of her throat.

An eyebrow slowly arched above one of Pharaoh 90's eyes as his arms unfolded themselves, though his scrutinizing gaze remained fast. "And what is this good news you speak of?"

"One of the Zodiac Senshi, Sailorscorpio, is dead," Lifting one of her hands up, the Evil Senshi produced her orange Sailor Crystal, "I hold the power of her Hoste here…but, it is much more powerful then any Hoste. I'm sure you _sense _how much stronger it is then the Hoste we gathered before…" With a nudge, she sent the Crystal towards Pharaoh 90, who took the glowing object within one of his hands and studied it.

"This is no Hoste," He said after a moment, "_But_, as you have said…it is very powerful…much like what was given to _me _in order to fully revive me. You have done well…_for once_." With that, Pharaoh 90 turned around and was prepared to go back to resuming what it was he was doing before.

"There is more."

Stopping in this process, Pharaoh 90 turned back around and looked down towards the kneeling form of the Evil Senshi. "Oh?"

"Sailormoon has been rendered powerless," She informed with a cold smirk, "I have destroyed her only weapon. Now, she cannot fight us normally…and using the Ginzuishou to attack would either destroy her…or the planet. I highly doubt she would want to go that far in a regular battle."

That gaze did not lift.

For a long time, Pharaoh 90 studied her. The silence was horribly awkward. The Evil Senshi was usually used to the Red-eyed woman, Eudial, to simply bark orders or to ramble on about this and that she was planning or working on. More over, Eudial wasn't frightening as she was annoying; there were many-a-time when she had to resist the urge to spring up and kill the woman. But he…he was different. He was powerful enough to strike fear into her heart, as if any wrong move would result in her death. More over, he had a commanding and fierce presence that told everyone around him that they better listen, or face the price. He knew how to lead…he knew how to destroy. In that deathly silence, the Evil Senshi feared what he might do to her.

Finally, he spoke; "So…you say," He folded his arms again and turned back around, approaching the platform where the Taorian Crystal had once resided upon. "How am I to trust a woman who swore her allegiance to so many others before us…and after us…only to suddenly appear and swear it once more? How can I trust a woman whose true name and purpose is hidden from the person she swore herself to? I know nothing about you. For all I know…you could be _lying _to win my favor."

"Then how…am I to earn your trust, Master Pharaoh 90?" The very words made that bile threaten to force its way up from the depths of her stomach, made her want to lash out and kill this bastard. Instead, she had to follow the Yami's advice…she had to keep her cool in order to obtain her goals. So, she had to grin and bear it…for now.

"Perhaps we can begin with your true name…and continue on from there."

A hollow chuckle came from the Evil Senshi's throat as she grimaced, shaking her head and lifting it up to look at Pharaoh 90 square in the eyes. A dark power seemed to swirl behind them as the grimace formed into a smirk.

"I haven't had a _real _name in a long time…" That smirk only continued to grow as she lifted herself up from the ground, holding herself proud and tall as she looked to the man she was sick to call her 'Master.'

"But…I _used _to be called…_Empyrean._"


	12. Enemies Resurrected!

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Eternal Darkness, Episode 12:_ Enemies Resurrected! Hard Battles Ahead._**

Lighting crashed overhead. The wind howled against the windows of the Tsukino household, rattling them within their base. Rain beat down upon the roof overhead as the group of Inner Senshi sat in silence around a table, the fragments of the Moon Tier resting there, next to Scorpio's spear.

"So now what do we do?" Makoto said as her green eyes store down at the shattered weapon, and the weapon of their fallen comrade. "You can't attack without a weapon, can you Usagi?"

Usagi remained silent, her fingers gathering the fabric of her skirt up within the palms of her hands. She pursed her lips together, her face pained with a look of distress. All of this was beginning to be too much for her to handle. She had to keep faith, she had to stay strong, but it was hard when people were dying all around her, and now she had nothing to attack with. She quickly shook her head in response to Makoto's question, though her eyes remained trained along the floor.

"This is not good," Luna sighed as she examined the shattered Tier on the table, "There is no way to repair it, with it so destroyed and many pieces missing…I honestly don't know what to say…"

"Luna, can't you just make a new weapon for Usagi?" Minako asked, "Like how you gave her the Moon Stick?" The black cat sighed and shook her head swiftly, still looking at the item.

"It's not that easy, I'm afraid," Luna admitted, "I was able to give her the Moon Stick because it had already been created, and was entrusted to me to give to her. The other weapons simply…_became_…in some way, shape or form for her, whenever a new enemy arrived."

"Especially one this powerful," Artemis added.

"Then why hasn't a new weapon or form made itself known to Usagi?" Rei looked over towards her troubled friend, gently reaching a hand out and placing it on Usagi's shoulders in a comforting gesture. Usagi flinched slightly, though remained still otherwise. Even though she did not show any outwards appearances of finding comfort in it, Rei knew that, internally, Usagi was glad to have that touch, even for just a little. With a sigh, she looked over towards Luna again.

"I don't know," Luna admitted, sighing once again and jumping off of the table, "Usually some kind of special circumstance had to happen for Sailormoon to grow in strength, and for a new weapon to come to her. Such as combining her and Ma--" Luna stopped as she was about to say that name, not wanting to upset Usagi any more then she already was. "…Combining her power with _him _to form the Moon Scepter, or for the Tier to be gifted to her when she evolved into Eternal Sailormoon."

"Perhaps the reason why Usagi hasn't gotten a new one yet is because of the state of her heart…" Rei mused out loud, her eyes looking to the ceiling as she talked, "Before, she always had hope and strength, and love. But now…" She glanced over towards Usagi and sighed. "…I don't want to upset you further then you already are, but maybe because your heart is so filled with darkness and sorrow that you _can't _evolve or change, or get a new weapon for that matter."

Usagi did not say anything to this comment, only closing her eyes and sighing deeply. Rei was right. Even though she was trying her best not to give up and to keep moving forward, Usagi, internally, still felt distressed and sorrowful. No matter how hard she tried to smile these days, to keep that light burning bright within her, it always seemed to flicker away. Things kept on piling on top of each other, and kept on getting worse. How could she keep her chin held high when everyone was disappearing around her? And now, she was completely powerless. Usagi could not defend those who she held dear to her, to save them from dying, and it made her feel even worse.

That's when an idea struck her. Usagi opened her eyes again and looked up. Uranus and Aquarius…somehow, when Uranus died, Aquarius was able to tap into the power of the planet to awaken a new power within her Princess. The other Zodiac mentioned it as well. Surly, there must be a way for Sailorcancer to awaken this power within Usagi.

"…Do you guys remember what happened to Sailoruranus?" She asked. The quartet of girls and two cats nodded their head, "She changed into Empyrean Sailoruranus, because Sailoraquarius tapped into the power of the planet Uranus to give her a new, powerful and evolved form…"

"I can see where you are going with this, Usagi," Ami said softly, "But do you remember what Enala said about the transformation? That it should only be done when the receiver of power is ready?"

"But…" Usagi said quietly, "I just have to be careful! It's the only way I can protect all of you from whatever the heck is going on here!!"

"Usagi, it's too dangerous!" Rei shouted, "Enala said it herself; if you're not ready for the power, you could shatter your Sailor Crystal! That means you'd die for _good!_ You're far too important to _everyone _to take that kind of a risk!!"

"But!"

"Princess," A soft voice said from the doorway. Everyone drew their attention from Usagi's table towards the ajar door, to see Enala standing there. While either Lizzie or Loren usually accompanied her, she stood alone. Lighting flashed brightly outside, but it did not diminish the intensity of her eyes. Those usually kind, soft, warm eyes shone with determination and devotion. Slowly, she entered into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Enala?" Usagi gasped.

"Your mother said I could come up," Walking across the soft carpet with the silence of a cat, Enala gently took a seat beside Usagi. The small girl wrapped her arms around her Princess, holding her close. Usagi seemed startled by this act of kindness, but gently wrapped her arms around the other girl. "Princess, no…_Usagi_…you are more important to me then anything else in this entire universe. I know that you feel helpless to defend those you love because of the circumstances…but I do not want to put you in a position where you could risk yourself. I can't loose you, Usagi…I simply can't…!"

Usagi gasped again as she felt warm tears spill against her neck. Enala silently cried against her, her body shaking within her embrace. She did not let go of Usagi, only holding her tighter. Usagi closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Enala as well, finding her own tears form at the corners of her eyes. "Enala…"

"We feel the same way, Usagi," Minako said with a sorrowful smile as she, and the others, place their hands upon Usagi's shoulders. She looked up at them with her tearful expression. A faint smile formed across her face.

"Thank you, everyone…" It still didn't solve the problem of her not being able to attack her enemies, or to defend her allies either. She wanted to become stronger for them, but it was hard with everything going on…first Mamoru, then Setsuna and now Mei. Even though she did not know Mei for a very long time, she felt so…connected with her in a way. Even she was precious to Usagi. Seemingly able to sense her emotions, Enala looked up at her Princess, tears still flowing from her eyes.

"Scorpio…" She sniffed loudly, "…She was a beloved member of my team. Even though we did not come together very often, she always had a maturity that no one else had…even if she was very flirtatious…not everyone liked her…a-and now…I feel like I've _failed_ as a leader…" Tears continued to fall from her eyes. Enala started to actually sob at this point as she buried her head against Usagi's shoulders again. "I…I can't…I can't loose anyone else so important to me!" She sobbed, "And damned that I'll do something that could end in you disappearing, too!! I've…I've finally gotten a chance to meet you, to get to know you…and I've already…f-failed Endymion…I don't want to fail you!!" Lifting her head up from Usagi's shoulder, she store into those deep blue eyes of hers. "I...I love you so much, Usagi! And…even though I am not very strong…I will do anything in my power to preserve your light, your happiness…and your life." Even though her voice jerked from her crying, Enala held determination within her voice, and it shone within her watery eyes.

It was amazing. Even though everyone in the room would willingly give their life for Usagi, the utter devotion that Enala had towards her was astounding. It was more powerful then their drive and it was coming from a person who did not know Usagi, or even Princess Serenity, until just a few months ago. The entire Zodiac shared this bond with their Princesses, it seemed, and it remained pure and unshaken. Rei couldn't help but to admit that these Zodiac were good people at heart, despite their secrecy, and they would greatly help in the battles to come.

"..Please don't cry anymore, Enala…" Usagi said with a weak smile, "You're going to make me cry, too!" Enala couldn't help but to laugh at this and dry her tears with her sleeve.

"So why did you come here?" Luna asked with a tilt of her head.

"Oh…I just talked to Lizzie and Loren about…what happened to Scorpio…" Enala tried her best not to cry anymore, but it was difficult given the situation. She gently released her hold on Usagi and turned around, reaching for the spear laying on the table. She held it out in her hands towards Usagi. "We decided that Scorpio would want you to have this. Since her Princess died before she did…you would be the one person she could devote her life to. It…may not be much…but it gives you something to defend yourself with." With that, Usagi delicately took the spear within her hands and store at it, finding fresh tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "I…also think you _might _be able to channel your powers through the staff, but it will be difficult considering how far apart your powers are compared to Scorpio's…but…it's something, at least…"

"I wish I could have met Sailorscorpio now…" Makoto mused, "She seems like a really good person…"

"Yeah…" Usagi said quietly as she hugged the spear to herself.

"Hey!" Minako piped up with a grin, "I know! Once we defeat the Deathbusters _again_, we'll bring her back and we can talk as much as we want with her! Right?"

"Yeah!" Makoto cheered, "And for everyone else who's gone now! We gotta stay hopeful somehow, right?"

Usagi slowly turned her head up towards her more excited friends and smiled weakly. She looked back down at the spear, then across into Enala's shining eyes.

"Right!"

"Master!"

The word rang out across the empty, stone room that the Taorian Crystal had once rested within. Slowly, his head turned around to face the woman kneeling before him, clad in a white lab coat. Her bright red hair was pulled into three sectioned pigtails, two resting against her back and one hanging over her shoulders, her red eyes closed behind a pair of square-shaped glasses. A hand was folded across her breast.

"What is it, Eudial?" The human-form of Pharaoh 90 asked as he eyed her.

"Master, I come baring excellent news of my process in reviving the _others_." Eudial reported as she lifted her head up to look at him, her red eyes flashing. He did not say anything in response, allowing for Eudial to continue. "Their bodies have been completed and are as perfect as they were before…only they are tens of thousands times stronger then they were _originally_. All that is required to fully resurrect the rest of the Witches is a sufficient amount of Hoste! And even then, we are _very _close to their rebirth!"

Pharaoh 90 took this moment to fully face Eudial, his glowing yellow eyes staring down at her with a scrutinizing gaze. There was an eerie silence that followed as he studied her for a long moment. With an angry snort, he sneered down at her and turned back around, folding his arms across his chest.

"…And how long before you can revive my _partner_, Eudial?"

Eudial gasped, her eyes wide within their sockets. Her mouth hung ajar for a moment, before she pushed herself up from the ground. "Master, I have been working very hard to revive the Witches to better serve you! Why do you only--" However, her words caught in the back of her throat as Pharaoh 90 turned his head to face her, his face twisted into a dark and threatening scowl. Those tattoos across his eyes began to pulsate with the dark power that coursed through his system, sending a feeling of utter dread through Eudial, nearly causing her legs to give out from under her. But, she managed to stay upright, despite how shaken her body was.

"I care _nothing _for those _failures _that Tomoe constructed for us the first time, _Eudial_." Even though Pharaoh 90 was not shouting, anger was present in his voice. "They were weak before, and I am certain that your _enhancements _will do _nothing _to change that fact! Reviving Mistress 9 should be your _top priority._" He fully turned around to Eudial and walked off of the platform he stood upon, standing directly before her, his eyes glaring down into his own. "Do I make myself. _Perfectly. _Clear?"

Eudial found her voice caught in her throat in response. She tried to stumble out an answer, but only a pathetic whimper escaped from it. However, she closed her mouth and nodded in response. Pharaoh 90 sneered at her again and turned around, moving back to the platform.

"How much longer before she can be fully revived?" He asked again.

"I-it will take time, Master," Eudial managed to find her voice again, though it still cracked. "The other personality that was created when Sailormoon purged the darkness from Mistress 9 is very…resilient. I thought breaking her would help bring out our Silent Messiah…"

"So is _that _why you continue to _damage _my partner?" Pharaoh 90's voice was cold and menacing as he spoke, echoing off of the stone walls of the chamber. Eudial flinched at this, gritting her teeth together.

"…Yes."

At this point, rage had gathered up in Pharaoh 90 to the point that his voice raised above its usual level of speech. He snapped around and marched up to Eudial, his hand snapping out and grabbing onto her throat, pinning her to a near-by wall. The markings that ran along his arm began to pulsate with energy as he held her there, struggling to move and breathe.

"You are never, _ever,_ allowed to do such a traitorous thing to your _Mistress!!_" He yelled with barred fangs, holding Eudial's throat tight within is grasp. "I could easily snap your neck for even _thinking _that harming my beloved Mistress 9 would _bring her out!!_ She simply requires powerful _Hoste _to mute her new personality! You are _not _allowed to _harm _her _ever again._ If you do, I will make sure that you _suffer _as much as she did! Do you understand me, _Eudial?!" _With a choked affirmative answer, Pharaoh 90 dropped Eudial to the ground, who collapsed against it and tried to regain her breath with ragged, sharp pants, coughing heavily.

"Now leave," Pharaoh 90 commanded as he returned back to his stand, "And do _not _return to me until you bare _good news _about my partner's revival."

"Y…y-yes…M-ma-master…" Eudial groaned as she pushed herself up from the ground, staggering out of the chamber.

"Damn him!" Eudial screamed as she slammed her fists down against the council of her laboratory. "Why the hell did I revive our Master when he was just going to _shoot down _my elaborate plans and to take favor over that pathetic Mistress 9?!" How long it took for her to return to her lab, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she was loosing favor with Pharaoh 90, and it was beginning to really grate on her nerves. Gritting her teeth, she looked up at the tubes before her, seeing the floating forms of the revived Witches 5.

Mimete, Tellu, Viluy, Cyprine.

They were all completed. They each only needed a few, strong souls before they would be completely revived. And Mistress 9? It would take a lot more before she could completely take over the "healed" side of her personality and become the person that Eudial would respect. But now, all she was consisted of a pathetic little girl who the Master favored _far _too much.

And it angered Eudial to no end that he would favor a weak little child over her! She was powerful and intelligent, and actually was doing something _productive!_ But Takulira, the healed aspect of Mistress 9's personality?

"Well then…" Eudial continued to glare up at the tubes holding the Witches 5, grinding her teeth together. "It looks like I'll have to take matters into my _own _hands, Master…"

The rebuilding process was going very smoothly for the Hiwaka Shrine. Most of the staircase had been completely rebuilt, and so did much of the grounds surrounding the Shrine. Most of the work had yet to be completed with the shrine itself, and with the living quarters where Rei and her Grandfather would live.

Because most of the shrine still needed to be built, she and her Grandfather still stayed with the Tsukino's, but regularly went out to the shrine to work on construction. Today, Minako, Makoto, Ami and Usagi were helping out with the construction process, along with the crew that was stationed there.

"Steady, steady…" Usagi said to herself as she aimed a hammer towards a nail, "Don't rush yourself, Usagi! Take your time…steady…" With a swing of her hammer, she brought it down to the nail in one, swift motion…only to scream in pain as she hit her thumb instead of the nail! Crying out, she raised the swollen finger into the air and tried to keep herself from making any more noise, failing her arm about. Her face began to balloon out and turn read as she held her cry in. However, Usagi totally forgot that she still held the hammer in her hand, which she let go to have the object fall on her head. Letting out a squawk of pain, she collapsed to the ground. The hammer was then picked up off of her by Makoto, who held a hand down to Usagi to help her up.

"Usagi-chan!" Makoto cried out, "Maybe you should leave the hammering to someone more coordinated!" Usagi gave a groan as Makoto eased her up. "Why don't you go help move some materials around?"

"R-right…" Usagi groaned again and hobbled off towards a pile of wood. Slowly, she found her eyes drawn up towards the sky as she raised a hand to shield the bright sunlight from her view.

This had been the first day that it wasn't dark and gloomy out in a long while. No rain, no storms, nothing but a few scattered clouds painted against the bright blue sky. Usagi couldn't help but to find a smile forming deep within her heart as she looked to the heavens, the same smile painting across her features. It was so nice to see the sun, after such a long time…

But why, today of all days, was the sky clear?

Rei had mentioned something of a vision she had received regarding the stormy weather. Although she had no sacred fire to focus her energies on, she still received visions from time to time. Somehow, the enemy was manipulating the weather for their advantage…but what that advantage was, per-say, was beyond Rei's grasp. Perhaps to gather energy, or to spook them in some way…but Usagi couldn't figure it out. Neither could anyone else. But suddenly, this morning, the sky had cleared and the rain had stopped, painting a beautiful rainbow across the sky for most of the morning.

It almost gave Usagi hope that everything would be alright.

"Usagi!" She found herself pulled from her trance as she glanced behind her, towards Rei's voice. "Could you bring some plywood over here?"

"Sure thing, Rei-chan!" Just as she was about to bend over and pick up the wood from the pile, Usagi felt a sudden pang of darkness fill her heart. A feeling of dread filled her system as her small hands dropped the wood back onto the pile. Her head snapped towards the staircase leading up to the shrine, her eyes wide in terror and fear. The others, too, seemed to have sensed it as she heard them stop moving.

Their fears became a reality as explosions of flame burst from the staircase, sending waves of debris flying everywhere and sending the poor, now very roasted workers flying in every direction. The explosions continued up the staircase as the other workers began to panic, until finally, a figure emerged from the top of the stairs.

"…_What_…?!" Rei gasped as she store at the woman standing before them.

"B-but…how?!" Ami's eyes were wide as well.

"…N-no way…!" Usagi gasped, "_Eudial_…?!"

Sure enough, standing before those of the Inner Court was none other then their once-enemy and the first member of the Witches 5, Eudial. Her long hair still adorned in the triple pony-tails, though it was much, much longer then it was when they last faced her. Her outfit, as well, was very different too. Several black leather belts wrapped around her neck with a large red star hanging from it, and her top consisted of a red leather bikini top with strips of leather belts criss-crossing in the front, and looping around her shoulders. She wore long black leather gloves with belts across them, and a small black mini skirt, held up with several criss-crossing belts adorning her hips and waist. Several strips of red fabric hang from her belt as well, and she also wore black fishnet stockings and the same red heals she had before. In one of her hands she held the Infinity Witches Staff, adorned with a red star in the middle.

Eudial began to cackle madly as she pointed her staff towards them. "Surprised to see me again, Sailor Senshi?" She laughed again and pointed her staff towards the ground again, "Well, I will make sure this is our _last _encounter!! Fire Buster!" Thrusting it outwards, she released a massive cyclone of flame from her staff and directed it towards Usagi…but the spread of the flame was so wide that it would quickly engulf the entire shrine!

The fire collided with the shrine and exploded in a massive fury of flame and dark energy. Eudial's head snapped up towards the horizon where multiple colors merged together to form the Sailor Senshi. They hovered above her head, fully clad in their fuku. The shockwave following the explosion whipped through the treetops and through Eudial's hair, though she remained still as she smirked up at them.

"She's more powerful then before…" Sailormercury whispered as she and the others landed on the destroyed ground.

"Oh god, the Shrine…!" Sailormars gasped, "Just when we were rebuilding it…!" She turned towards Eudial and gritted her teeth. "I will never forgive you for ruining our good day and what we were trying to rebuild! Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Small bursts of lightning swirled around the flaming arrow, arcing directly towards Eudial. That wicked smirk only continued to grow as she raised her staff up, batting both attacks aside and into the archway. An explosion followed which caused it to teeter and creak loudly, almost on the verge of collapse.

"Far stronger, it seems…" Mercury added as she called up her visor, "Guys, can you distract--" Mercury didn't get to finish the statement as a sphere of glowing red energy struck her square in the chest. She screamed as the energy exploded around her, sending her arcing through the air and crashing against he still-burning ground several meters behind her.

"Sailormercury!" Sailorvenus gasped, looking towards Eudial with a cold stare.

"Getting rid of your brains first…" Raising her staff again, she snapped it to the sides and released a spiral of fire and lighting out towards Jupiter, "…And your brawn next!" Sailorjupiter barely had a chance to react to the attack as it hit her square in the chest, exploding around her. Jupiter screamed and collapsed to the ground, laying within the smoldering and flaming crater that the attack had created. Her fuku was already heavily torn and heavy burns lined her entire body…just like Sailormercury.

Already, Eudial had taken down two Sailor Senshi without any effort what so ever. Sailormoon looked on hopelessly as Sailormars and Sailorvenus moved to defend her. She held Scorpio's spear against her, and wondered if she could actually use it to attack…

"Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

Swallowing hard, Sailormoon lifted the spear up to the sky and attempted to attack as well, "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!!" To her surprise, purple beams of light did resonate from the top of the spear, combining with Mars and Venus' attacks…but it wasn't nearly as powerful had she performed it with her Tier.

Even with all three of their attacks combined, Eudial remained where she stood, that same maniacal look painted across her face. With that smirk, coupled with her wide eyes, she began to cackle as she held her staff outwards, a red light coming from it. The attacks hit the staff-head on, but instead of being ricocheted off to the side or being absorbed, the red energy mixed with their own and made it much larger. At this, Eudial screamed and swung her staff outwards like a baseball bat, releasing the glob of glowing red-and-black energy towards the Sailor Senshi.

Sailormoon gasped and braced herself for the energy to hit her, but it never made it. Instead, she heard the pained cries of those who defended her from the attack. Nervously, she opened her eyes to see Mars and Venus collapse to the ground, as heavily damaged and burned as Mercury and Jupiter were. Sailormoon's eyes widened in terror as her heart leapt into her throat.

Oh god…not again! Not anyone else…!! She couldn't…she couldn't loose anyone else to them! Sailormoon's legs gave out from under her as she slumped to the ground, finding hot tears rolling down her face as she store at the fallen bodies of Sailormars and Sailorvenus. This couldn't be happening! Not again…not after Scorpio just--

"Sailor…moon…" Mars' voice was barely audible. "P-please…g-get out of here…save…y-yourself…!"

"N-no…I can't…I can't leave any of you!" Sailormoon cried, "I won't! I refuse to…!"

"G-go…S-s-sail-or…m-..m-mo-oon…" With that, Mars gave a heavy wince, before her head lay down onto the ground. Sailormoon's heart stopped. Her hands quickly came out and went to Mars' shoulders, shaking them heavily.

"Sailormars…!!" She cried out, tears rolling down her face as she frantically shook her fallen friend, "P-please, wake up! Don't leave me here…don't leave me here all alone!! _MARS!!_" Her head dropped down as she pulled Sailormars' limp, but still alive body against her own, holding her close and burring her face within Mars' dark hair, crying softly into it and rocking back and forth. Even if Mars was still alive right now, she was severely injured and would need medical attention very soon…but Sailormoon couldn't think of anything else but the dark thoughts of loosing more people important to her.

Sailormoon was so involved over the loss of her friends, and how heavily damaged they were, that she did not even notice Eudial approach her. She did not lift her head up from Mars, at least, not until Eudial placed the curve of her staff under Sailormoon's chin and lifted it up. She was greeted with a tear-stained and a grief-stricken face, and could not help but to grin manically.

"Such a pitiful creature you are!" Eudial cackled, "How _easy _it is to cause you such suffering! How delicious it is…but now, I'm going to end your pitiful life!" With that, she raised her staff above her head and continued to cackle insanely, "_DIE SAILORMOON!!"_

"Submarine Reflection!"

"World Shaking!"

"Silence Glaive Surprise!"

Eudial barely managed to turn her head to face the oncoming trio of attacks, before they struck her head on. Her piercing scream echoed across the vacant, destroyed shrine, just as the energy that hit her exploded into a massive prism of blue, teal and violet. Sailormoon found a barrier glowing around herself, the Silence Glaive resting before her, protecting her from becoming damaged from that attack. Soon, the owner of the massive pole-arm returned to it and picked it up, as well as Sailorneptune and Sailoruranus moving in front of Sailormoon and their fallen allies. They stood at attention before her, waiting for the dust to clear to see what became of Eudial.

"_Damn you_!" Came her voice as the dust disappeared in a cyclone of fire. Although she was very alive, Eudial was certainly damaged from the attacks. She bleed from several places and was burned in others, but she could still fight. The staff in her hands remained solid and untouched by the attack.

"Sailormoon!" Uranus shouted, "Get out of here! We'll handle Eudial!"

"B-but…"

"Go, and get them help!" Neptune shouted as well, "Trust us, Princess!"

"We're more then enough to take her down," Saturn added as she gripped her Silence Glaive.

"I'll make sure you _pay _for this!!" Eudial screamed as she lept backwards, swinging her staff out over her head, "Corrupted!" she shouted as she swung it down, then off to the side, "Dark!" black flame began to burn around the staff as she raised it up over her head again, "FLARE!!" Swinging it downwards, she released a massive bolt of black flame down towards the group of Sailor Senshi below. Red lighting sparkled around the massive beam of fire, gathering strength and size as it continued to move downwards towards the group.

"Silence Wall!!" Sailorsaturn shouted as she held her Glaive up and down in front of her, forming an invisible field around herself and the others. No sooner did she call up the dome over her did the attack hit it, and Eudial wasn't letting up on the juice, either! It continued to strain the barrier. Saturn began to show signs of fatigue as she strained against the attack, her teeth gritting against each other and her feet being pushed backwards. "S-so strong…!" She gasped.

"HA!" Eudial yelled as she increased the power output of her attack by nearly ten times. It would not be long before the Silence Wall would completely shatter under the strain.

"Neptune!" Uranus yelled, receiving a nod in response from her partner. Sailorneptune lifted her Aqua Mirror up and stood behind Saturn.

"Release the barrier." Saturn gave a nod and released her hold as Neptune raised her mirror up to the oncoming attack. "Submarine Reflection!" Instead of releasing a blast of water from her mirror, the mirror pulsated a bright aqua color as Eudial's attack hit it. It gathered up all of the energy coming from her staff and swallowed it whole…and then blasted it back out in a bright teal color.

Eudial screamed as she saw her own attack lashed back out at her, the attack hitting her and causing a massive explosion that engulfed her body, and the entire archway and staircase of the shrine. Her scream died out as the explosion faded away, leaving nothing but crumbling rubble in its wake.

"…Is she gone?" Sailorsaturn asked.

"I don't sense her anymore…" Sailoruranus glanced around, not seeing or sensing Eudial at all. However, as soon as she said that, Sailorneptune collapsed to the ground and started to pant. "Neptune!" Uranus came down to Neptune and placed her arms against her shoulders.

"T-that power…" She gasped, "It's…its incredible…"

"G-guys…t-thank you…" Sailormoon whispered, "B-but…but what about everyone else?"

"Bring them with the others," Sailorsaturn instructed, "I'll heal them…it may not be as strong as yours is, Sailormoon…but it should be enough."

"Saturn, won't you…" Uranus began as she made her way towards Jupiter.

"I know," Saturn sighed, "I'll use a lot of energy to do it, but I'm willing to do it." She turned to Sailormoon and smiled, "Don't worry, Usagi! They'll be back with you very soon!"

Sailormoon tried to smile, but found it difficult. She looked back down at Sailormars and pursed her lips together. God. She felt so helpless! She couldn't do anything in this state! And channeling her power through Scorpio's spear wouldn't be able to help any of them. She was too weak with it. How could she continue to battle with a weapon she didn't know how to use, or not even be strong enough to defeat the weakest of enemies? It made her feel so weak, so helpless…

Saturn raised her Glaive above her head and swung it downwards, releasing her energy out into the injured Inner Soldiers. Their wounds began to heal and close up, and their energy returned to them. Slowly, they began to push themselves upwards as they awoke, only to have Sailorsaturn collapse to the ground, exhausted.

"Ugh…what happened…?" Sailormars groaned as she sat up, only to be glomped by Sailormoon a moment later. "Ack! U-usagi…?!"

"I was so scared!" Sailormoon cried, "I was so scared that I was going to loose all of you!"

"W-we're fine now, Sailormoon…" Sailormars said with a grin, "Thanks to everyone else…"

"But…we have confirmed that it truly is the Deathbusters that have returned," Sailormercury said as she staggered up to her feet, "More over, far more powerful then we could have ever imagined…"

"Yeah! I mean, Eudial downed all of us without any problems!" Sailorvenus added with a groan, sitting up off of the ground and rubbing her back. "I'd hate to imagine how much stronger the others would be, if they revived like she did…"

"Before…Eudial wasn't too much of a problem," Sailormars commented as she stroked Sailormoon's hair, who was crying against her. "At least, not until she got the Fire Buster…but now she's got her own abilities that don't rely on technology…"

"Are they after the Talismans again?" Sailoruranus commented as she helped Sailorneptune up to her feet, "After the Holy Grail…? Or the Silence?"

"If they were after the Holy Grail, they would have attacked you and Neptune already," Sailormercury noted, helping Sailorsaturn up to her feet. "Eudial figured out who you two were, correct?"

"Yes…" Sailorneptune panted, leaning her weight against her partner, "You do have a point…"

"So what is it that they're after, then?" Sailorjupiter asked.

"I don't know…" Came Mercury's response.

"R-really, Usagi! I'm fine!" Sailormars laughed as Sailormoon kept on crying against her, "A little sore and tired, but fine otherwise…" Then it hit her like a ton of bricks, her head snapping around to see the completely destroyed shrine. "Ugh!" She groaned, "I can't _believe _this place got totally destroyed again!! God damnit! We were so close to getting it finished too…and now it's _ruined!_ Grandpa is not going to be happy about this!"

"I think we should get the Zodiac together on this…" Uranus sighed, "Maybe they can help…either way, if our enemy is as strong as Eudial is…we're going to need a _lot _of training!"

With a nod of their heads, everyone in the shrine agreed with this fact.

"DAMNIT!" Eudial fumed as she shattered test tubes and beakers with her fists. "Damnitdamnit_damnit!!_" She finally stopped her rage by slumping over the table and panting heavily. Crimson blood dripped from many lacerations running all over her body, cascading down to the cold stone floor below her. "H-how could I let them _do _this to me?! Damnit! How will I regain the Master's favor if I can't get their god-damned _Hoste_?!"

"You're not going to win any favor with ravaging around like that," Came the snide tone of the Evil Senshi behind Eudial. Growling deeply, she snapped around to look at the tainted Sailor Senshi behind her.

"What do _you _know about gaining his favor?! He doesn't even _trust _you!!"

The Evil Senshi only snorted and walked into the room, "True, but he believes I do a better job then _you _do. Or are you sore because he favors _Takulira_ over you? I thought only _Kaolinite_ cared _that _much about his favor!"

"Watch your tongue, girl!" Eudial hissed as she shot off a sphere of glowing red energy, which the Evil Senshi merely batted aside with one hand, destroying a great deal of equipment within the lab. Eudial's eyes widened as she looked at the sneering, pink-clad Sailor Senshi before her. How…how could she bat something like that off so easily?!

"You best watch _yourself_ with _me_," The Evil Senshi hissed, "I may have respect for Pharaoh 90, but I hold _nothing _for _you_. You're not even a fraction of what _he _has!" She took a step forward towards Eudial, "If it weren't for _her_, I would have killed you long ago. My loyalties like with _Master _Pharaoh 90. I only served _you _because you were the only one who could revive him! Do _not _forget that, wench."

The tables had suddenly turned on Eudial. She had always been the one to command the rest of the Witches 5 and, once the mysterious Evil Senshi appeared before her again, commanded her now as well. Had she been so completely blind to the Evil Senshi's powers? She had always thought she was a mediocre fighter, but that display of power right now…How had she not _noticed _it?

With an angry snort, the Evil Senshi left Eudial alone to her thoughts. She proceeded down the hallway, her hands balled into tight fists as she walked, a scowl painted across her face.

"_How rash of you to act, my child…_" The haunting voice of the Yami called out in the Evil Senshi's mind, causing her to stop in her tracks. She sighed angrily and shook her head.

"I-I'm sorry, Yami," She tried to calm herself, "I am just getting so _sick _of following Eudial around like some kind of _dog!_ I want her to _die_ so bad that I don't know how long I can hold myself off from _killing_ her before I should!!"

"_Please, calm yourself_," The Yami cooed gently, "_Anger will not get you anywhere here. I know it is difficult for you to contain yourself, but your time to kill her will come, in time._"

"I know, Yami, I know…" Evil sighed and hung her head, continuing to walk down the empty corridor. "But it's becoming increasingly difficult to play servant to these people…I've been doing it for _so long _now that I hardly remember _why_ I served all of the Daughters of Darkness in the past!"

The Yami sighed at this. "_Did you already forget why you served them?_" To this, the Evil Senshi sighed.

"I hardly remember now…so many years it's been! And I'm getting fucking _sick _of it!"

"_Patience, my dear! Patience!"_ The Yami assured, "_I keep telling you to bide your time and do what you need to do, but you still do not realize how important it is to have patience in these situations. It is most important that you served them, gathering fragments of their Darkness…_"

"Yes, yes, I remember now…" The Evil Senshi grinned to herself, "By taking from them portions of their strengths – but none of their weaknesses – I can come closer to achieving Eternal Darkness for us!"

"_Correct, my dear,_" The Yami chuckled, "_Just a little bit more, and we will have it! Then, nothing within this Universe can stop us from consuming it within everlasting Darkness!! Not even the Light of the Ginzuishou could drive it away! Just keep this goal in your mind, my dear…and you will be able to stomach servitude for just a bit longer."_

"Right you are, Yami…right you are…!!" With that, a resounding cackle echoed within the Evil Senshi's mind, and her own voice joined in with the laughter, booming along the stone halls of the Citadel…and beyond…

"Ah!" Usagi shot straight up in her bed, panting heavily with sweat beading down her forehead. Her heart raced in her chest as she looked down at her sheets. "A…nightmare…?" She raised her hand to her forehead and rested it against her palm.

She was lost alone, in the darkness. She couldn't see or hear anything…then this figure appeared. Something…about a Darkness of some kind…then the figure laughed evilly saying that it was already too late for the Light to win. And a deep, intense feeling of dread filled every sense of her body…and then she woke up.

Usagi wasn't prone to prophetic dreams. Sometimes it happened…but she wasn't like Rei. They weren't usually vivid or anything…but this…it felt…_different _somehow. Menacing, cruel, as if its intentions were directly aimed towards Usagi. Crushing the light…isn't that what all of the enemies she had faced wanted? To destroy the Ginzuishou for Chaos, or absorb it and add it to his power? And yet…that figure in the dream…it seemed much stronger then Chaos ever was…

"Usagi…?" Came Luna's groggy voice, "You're up surprisingly early…" Luna stretched and yawned as the first rays of light began to peek across the horizon. Usagi looked down at Luna and sighed.

"Luna…"

"Yes, Usagi?" Luna had begun to preen her fur, but Usagi knew that she had her full attention.

"I…I'm kind of scared…"

With this phrase, Luna stopped grooming herself look up at Usagi with her blue eyes. She held compassion within them as she approached Usagi, walking up the side of the bed. "That's understandable, Usagi. The circumstances around our current enemy is most troubling…and with how they've been picking everyone off…"

"It's not that, Luna," Usagi whispered, her voice small and timid. "I know it scares me…but…it's what I saw in my dream that scares me…"

"Your dream?" Luna asked, "It's rare that you have a dream like that…did it have to do with the Deathbusters?"

"I-I don't think so," Usagi continued to whisper, drawing knees into her chin and resting it upon them. "It seemed…_different_ then them. Almost like the real enemy isn't the Deathbusters, but something else more frightening then I can even imagine…"

"Like Chaos?"

"No, it felt…stronger then Chaos," Usagi continued, "Far stronger…"

"Strong then Chaos was?!" Luna gasped, "But now…?"

"I don't know…" Usagi kept her voice quiet as she spoke, as if at any moment her heart would break and she would cry and be unable to stop the tears. "It was…insanely powerful…far stronger then anyone or anything I've ever felt before. It was terribly evil and was laughing at me…saying something about the Darkness destroying the Light…"

"A darkness? Was there anything else, Usagi?"

"No…" Pursing her lips together, Usagi sighed, "Except…I feel like I _knew _that presence from somewhere…"

"You knew it? How?"

With this, Usagi closed her eyes and sighed again.

"Like…a forbidden memory…locked deep within my heart…"


	13. The Awakening Draws Near

Authors Forward: Just so you guys know, this is the infamous Capricorn x Cancer chapter. Although there is no graphic sexual content, there is a lot of lesbian innuendo (kissing, making out, a bit of groping here and there), and the sex is indeed very implied. If you feel uncomfortable with lesbianism, I don't recommend reading the portion marked by large, bold at the beginning, and at the end. This episode is rather important, especially concerning the past history between the two, but I have marked the beginning and the end of the innuendo and implications clearly so those who do not want to read it do not have to. Thank you, and enjoy the chapter I've been so looking forward to!

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Eternal Darkness, Episode 13; _The Awakening Draws Near. We Might Not Get Another Chance! _**

With the Hiwaka Shrine completely totaled once again, the Sailor Senshi were in a bit of a bind to find a place where they could meet and discuss the current events. With the appearance of Eudial once again, her new-found powers, and with Usagi's troubling dream and a lack of a weapon, it was apparent that they all needed to get together to talk…and to train. It was in this instance that Makoto offered her apartment up for the meeting, as she lived alone and no one could bother them while they talked.

"So, who was this figure you saw in your dream, Usagi?" Makoto asked as she brought a tray of rice cakes and tea out for the group. Even the Four Zodiac where there - Enala, Lizzie, Loren, and the ever pissed-off Alexis – all of them gathered together to discuss what was going on.

"I couldn't really make out any details…" Usagi reached out to the tray and scooped up at least half of the crackers, only to get whapped on the side of her head by Rei. "Ack! What was _that _for, Rei-chan?!"

"For being a greedy pig!!" Rei hissed down at Usagi. She, in turn, made a pouting face towards the raven-haired priestess, who only kept scowling down at her. Meekly, Usagi replaced a lot of the crackers, only to get whapped again.

"Rei!! What did I do _now?_"

"Don't put food back that you've touched, idiot!" Rei snapped.

"B-But you just said…"

The remainder of the group all looked at each other, and several of them found themselves chuckling at the scene between Rei and Usagi. It was nice to know that at least a _little _bit of the old Usagi was coming back, and that they were relaxed enough to still argue, given the grave circumstances. Sighing, Ami looked up from her tea and spoke softly.

"Usagi-chan, could you continue with what you saw in this dream?" Usagi, who was in the midst of stuffing her hand in Rei's face, while Rei tugged on one of her pigtails, eeped loudly and quickly removed herself from Rei. Angrily, Rei released Usagi's pigtail and folded her arms across her chest, snorting as she turned her nose up to the ceiling. Coughing, Usagi stuffed a rice cracker into her mouth, then proceeded to recall what she had seen in her dream.

"I really couldn't see _who _it was…" She continued as she gulped down some tea, as if to calm her nerves, "But…there was some kind of strange sense of familiarity attached. Like…I knew who this woman was, from somewhere…but I don't really know _where_."

"Was she maybe a member of the Deathbusters?" Haruka asked. Sighing, Usagi shook her head, causing her long pigtails to spin about her in the process, nearly whapping Rei in the face. Rei looked about ready to grab the pigtail and give it a hard yank, but saw Ami actually _glaring _at her. Lowering her hand, Rei folded it across her chest with the other, sighing angrily. It was rare when Ami would glare, and when she did, she was _really_ mad…and Rei didn't want to deal with that right now.

"I don't think so," Usagi blinked, eating another rice cracker before continuing, "Say, Makoto! These are really good…!"

"Thanks!" Makoto grinned, folding her arms behind her back, "I found a nice, new recipe that I wanted to try…"

"Well, it worked out really good! I can't stop ea…ting…t-t-th…em…" Usagi stopped speaking as she saw Rei burning holes into her face. Gulping, Usagi forced herself to continue with her relaying of what happened in her dream.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling, remembering what had happened. Even though no one died or disappeared in it, the entire thing was just very terrifying. The power, the familiarity, the talk of the Darkness crushing the Light…even just remembering it made Usagi ache internally. Made her think of Mamoru, and how he wasn't here with her to comfort her when she was sad. It…it had been such a long time since she was truly afraid of an enemy, truly terrified of what power they held. Perhaps that was why Usagi had difficulty talking about it, again, even though Luna had told everyone the jest of it. Perhaps that was why she was avoiding the situation by making off-comments to prolong her saying what she needed to say even longer. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to push away the feeling of dread that was forming in the pit of her stomach. Those sitting around her could tell that Usagi was uncomfortable with this situation.

The color began to drain from her skin the more she remembered from the dream, the more she thought about it. Her eyes closed even tighter, her lips pursing together as well. Her hands went down to her skirts and wrapped her delicate fingers around the cloth. It was then that she began to shake, when involuntary tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. Instantly, the entire room tensed up as they saw what kind of a state this mysterious dream had put Usagi into, on top of all of the other fears, sadness and doubt she had already built since Mamoru died.

Usagi opened her eyes when she felt a warm hand rest itself against her shoulder, trailing her blue eyes up that arm, looking into the warm and understanding violet eyes of Rei. Even though the two fought constantly, Rei was still a member of Usagi's court and loved her as fiercely as everyone else did. That comforting touch, the strength in Rei's eyes allowed Usagi to gather up enough courage to continue with her tale.

Taking a deep breath, she finally continued; "If it was someone from the Deathbusters…I would have _known _it. I would have sensed it from them…and it wasn't that strange Evil Senshi we fought, or Darksailorsaturn, either. This…" Usagi's voice cracked with that one word, raising her hand to her throat and rubbing it. "T-this…being…was far worse then any of them…"

"Another Chaos?" Michiru asked.

"…Chaos?" Lizzie looked over at Michiru as she asked this question, receiving a cold look in response. With that, she made a mental note never to do anything to make Michiru angry in the near-future. Sighing angrily, Michiru shook her head.

"Chaos was the combination of all of the evil in the galaxy," She went on to explain, "It grew within the Galaxy Cauldron at Zero Star Sagittarius, and wanted nothing more then to rule the entire Universe with Darkness."

"Chaos is also the being that created all of the enemies we have faced," Ami added on, "Metallia…the Death Phantom…Pharaoh 90…Nehellania…and Galaxia…were all born from Chaos. And they all wanted to destroy Sailormoon…eventually leading her to it. But, in the end, Sailormoon was able to defeat Chaos…but Chaos is a manifestation of evil. Evil cannot ever be fully erased…so it may yet form again."

"Ah, I see…" Lizzie growled and slammed her fist into her open palm, "So _that's _the one responsible for the destruction of the Silver Millennium! I'm glad it's gone…for now, at least…"

"So, was this entity like this 'Chaos' you fought, Usagi?" Enala inquired, looking over at her pale leader with a look of worry and concern in her eyes. Loren, as if to comfort her leader, gently took one of Enala's small hands within her own, before looking to Usagi as well.

"…I…" Usagi tried to find her voice again, finding her throat beginning to close up. Taking a deep breath, she grasped the cup of tea and took a long sip from it, hoping that it would ease up her throat. "…I don't think it was like Chaos, or was the reborn Chaos."

"Then what was it?" Haruka leaned in, resting one arm against the table and studying Usagi's saddened face. Her eyes looked up into Usagi's, assuring that she would protect her Princess, no matter what the cost. Taking another deep breath, Usagi found strength and comfort within Haruka's glance, smiling weakly over at her.

"I don't know what it was…" Usagi sighed, "But it wasn't Chaos. It wasn't like _anything _we've fought before…it was horrifyingly powerful, far more powerful then Chaos ever could be. Even more powerful then the revived Deathbusters, either…"

"Was it aligned with them, maybe?" Minako tapped her finger to her chin, as if thinking, "Maybe whatever it is managed to revive them so they could claim revenge?"

"If it did that…" Ami said thoughtfully, "Why the Deathbusters? Why would it choose them instead of the others, like the Shadow Galactica?"

"Maybe…because of what they nearly accomplished…" Hotaru, who had been sitting quietly to herself with her knees drawn towards her face, said in a mystical tone. Those usually bright, vibrant eyes of hers grew dark and cold, signifying that the aged Soul of Saturn was speaking instead of her. "…They nearly destroyed the Earth. They…were the only group who wanted nothing to do with the Ginzuishou, or the Golden Crystal. If you think about it…the only reason why they attacked the Earth was because they deemed it suitable to become the new Tau Ceti…not having anything to do with us."

"…I've never thought of it that way…" Ami pressed her hand to her chin, also thinking, "But, how can that be true of Pharaoh 90 was also an incarnation of Chaos? Wouldn't the power of Chaos give him the knowledge of the Ginzuishou, and of us?"

"Maybe not everything born of Chaos wanted the Ginzuishou, or to do what Chaos wanted them to do," Loren made a thoughtful comment, her eyes sweeping across the room towards every face was there, even the silent Alexis, sitting in the corner. Finally, her eyes came to Usagi, who still seemed a little shaken. "Perhaps Pharaoh 90 became so involved with creating his own Dimension, his own World and his own Creation that he didn't care what Chaos wanted. All he cared about, from what I understand, is absorbing more and more _Hoste_ to become even stringer. Maybe he saw no need for the Ginzuishou in the beginning…"

"He did get it, eventually," Rei stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "From Chibi-usa."

"Chibi-usa…?" Lizzie tilted her head again, also confused by this.

"Mamoru and Usagi's daughter in the future," Ami informed, "She went back to her own time after Chaos was defeated…"

"…Does she…still even exist…?" Usagi's voice was cold and hollow as she spoke. All eyes flew to her with shocked expressions on their faces, staring at her as she slowly brought her knees up to her face, hugging them with her arms. "…With Mamo-chan gone…is she…even still…alive…in the future…?"

"Usagi! Don't think like that!" Rei flew to the rescue and wrapped her arms around Usagi's shoulders. "I'm sure she's still there, _alive_, and just waiting for when her mom will send her back again to train with us!"

"Think of it, Usagi!" Minako tried to hold a light tone to her voice, though her concern was still apparent, "Chibi-usa, here! She can meet all of our new friends, the Zodiac! Can't you imagine how excited she'd be to have all of these new friends?!" Still, despite this, Usagi's shoulders began to heave as she started to cry against her knees, her entire body shaking.

Even though she and Chibi-usa always argued, especially over Mamoru, Usagi still loved her from the bottom of her heart. It wasn't so much a motherly love she felt for Chibi-usa, more of a big-sister type love. It was complicated, knowing your own future daughter, and sometimes Usagi didn't even know what she felt for the squirt. Still, the pain that she might not ever come into being, into existence drove pain through every vein in her body. Even though the pain was in her heart, it felt like someone was physically stabbing it with a thousand knives. To think of a life in the future without Mamoru, without Chibi-usa…it made her even more depressed then she already was…

"Usagi…" Enala said softly, causing the blonde to look up from her knees and over to the Zodiac sworn to protect her. Enala smiled reassuringly at her. "…I would love to meet Chibi-usa, one day…so please, don't loose hope that she won't be there."

Sniffing, Usagi managed to find a smile on her face again. "…You're Japanese has gotten better, Enala-chan…" This, in turn, caused Enala's eyes to go wide and a bright, deep flush forming across her pale cheeks.

"She's right!" Ami laughed, "That's the first time you've said Usagi's name correctly!" This only caused Enala to turn even redder and attempt to burry her face into her turtle neck. Loren chuckled and gently wrapped her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders, comforting her. The others, meanwhile, had a chuckle at this. Enala had always been bad with pronunciation in Japanese, or just trying to find the right word. Lizzie could do it well enough and Loren spoke it very well…Alexis seemed to too, but her accent was so heavy it made it difficult to understand her. "Enala, you really should be proud of yourself!" Ami added, receiving a sheepish not from the depths of Enala's turtle neck.

"…Can we get to the damn point of this little get-together?" Alexis hissed from her position, kicking her heavy boots up onto the table. Makoto glared at her, but figured it was useless to try and fight with Alexis. The last thing she wanted was a brawl in the middle of her living room with lighting going off in every direction.

"…Right," Makoto groaned and looked over to Usagi, "Do you think this entity in your dream was somehow related to the Deathbusters?"

Usagi took a deep breath and managed to calm her nerves a bit, lowering her legs down into a cross-legged position. Still, the very premise of the dream didn't sit well with her, as displayed by her weak voice. "…I…I don't think so." Taking another sip of her tea, Usagi tried to push back unpleasant thoughts to the back of her mind. "It didn't seem like it was affiliated with them…w-while I know we have no idea what they're after this time…this entity wasn't with them, I don't think."

"Any reason why?" Michiru asked.

"J-just a feeling," Usagi replied sheepishly, "I can't really explain why, but I felt that she was all on her own, instead of with them."

"She?" Makoto tilted her head slightly at this information, "You've said that a few times already…"

"Another feeling, I guess," Usagi shrugged, still quiet in her tone of voice. "She…it…kept on talking about some kind of Darkness. About…how it was going to completely destroy the Light and rule over an entire universe of Darkness. And…it said that there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening…"

"Creepy!" Minako shivered, "Is that what has you so scared, Usagi?"

"…Its not just that," Usagi chewed on her lower lip for a moment, "It's just that…what this entity said…I felt in the very bottom of my heart that it was true. That the Darkness was really going to swallow up the Light…and we couldn't do anything about it…"

"Usagi…" Rei gently placed a comforting hand on her friends shoulder, who turned and smiled weakly up at her. "…We'll do everything in our power to make sure that it doesn't happen. Right?" The last word was directed to everyone else, who nodded their heads in agreement…well, except Alexis, but no one thought she'd agree with them.

"But…Why did Usagi have the vision?" Lizzie finished off her tea and placed it on the table, "Doesn't Rei usually sense these kinds of things?"

The room grew quiet then, deathly and still as they wondered why Usagi got the vision, and not Rei. Rei had an acute sense of spirituality, and had many premonitions and prophetic dreams regarding the enemies they had faced in the past. Even the Zodiac knew of her spiritual powers. Those who knew Usagi knew that she only occasionally picked up on strong waves, and even then they were vague and not as clear as Rei's visions often were. Still, even Rei could not predict things accurately, and much of what she saw or dreamt was still foggy and unclear.

"You…you didn't dream or see anything like this, did you Rei?" Minako looked over to the still priestess, breaking the eerie silence between the group. Rei blinked and looked slightly taken aback, before shaking her head.

"No. Nothing like this."

"That's weird…" Haruka chewed on her thumbnail, looking down at Michiru, "…Did you sense anything either, Michiru?"

"My mirror remains clouded," Michiru responded, "It refuses to lift, no matter how hard I try to focus my powers. The Sea is not calling to me, either…"

"…Neither is the Wind…" Haruka looked back to Usagi, who looked even less uncomfortable then she did before.

Why Usagi?

Why her, among all of the others who could sense these things easily?

"Perhaps…" Ami was, once again, thoughtful in her speech, "Perhaps this person wanted Usagi, and Usagi alone to know of its presence…"

"After the Ginzuishou?" Makoto hissed.

"If it was after the Ginzuishou, it would not have wanted to destroy the Light so much," Ami deducted, "My best guess is it wants to _destroy _the Ginzuishou – the brightest source of Light in the Universe. Perhaps this dream was an intimidation tactic to try to scare and weaken Usagi, which was why this entity only attacked her. If it is truly after Usagi, why send it to Rei or Michiru indirectly, when it can do it directly? After all, if it is as strong as Usagi believes…then it would have the power to directly feed what it wanted to into Usagi's dreams."

"So, Usagi, don't feel intimidated by it!" Rei urged, "We'll protect you, and we'll make sure that whoever the hell this is gets destroyed! Alright?" Usagi merely pursed her lips together and nodded. Rei sighed. Even tough Usagi was trying her best to be normal, it was increasingly difficult for her to do so. Now, with this dream to top it off, Rei even wondered if Usagi was _ever _going to be normal again…

"So…wasn't the other point of this meeting was to train?" Lizzie abruptly changed the subject, so as to avoid causing Usagi even more grief.

"I do believe we need to train more," Ami said, "With how easily Eudial managed to defeat us, if any of the others of the Deathbusters are as strong as she is…we have much to learn and much to prepare for."

"We can train at the shrine," Rei offered, "It's totaled now, and a lot of construction crews are hesitant to take on the job, saying it's cursed or whatever. People won't go near it, so we can easily train there, and in the forest surrounding it."

"Right," Lizzie gave a nod of her head, "We should try to train as often as we can. Even we need to do so."

"Alright, then!" Makoto announced, picking up the empty tray full of drained tea cups, "How about we meet there tomorrow, after school?"

"Sounds like a plan," Haruka grinned, "I'll try to do what I can to train my heart to accept this new power of mine _that I can't use_." The last phrase was said rather angrily. It was frustrating for her to have this insane amount of power that she simply couldn't use, at least not without risking herself to an overload. Standing up, she placed her hands on her hips. "Well, we should be off. Get some rest, everyone! We're going to need it for the days ahead." With that, Michiru and Hotaru also stood up, saying their goodbyes to the group and quickly leaving, as they had the furthest to go. The others, too, stood up and made their way to the exit, while Makoto worked on cleaning everything up. Rei helped Usagi to her feet and escorted her out of the door, with Lizzie close behind them.

Finally, all that were left where Loren, Enala, Makoto and Alexis. Makoto returned into the living area with a wet rag to wipe the table down, looking at the straggling Zodiac.

"Are you guys okay?" She inquired. Loren looked over to Enala, who seemed somehow…dishearted at the moment, before looking up to Makoto.

"I'll go ahead and take her home," She smiled at Makoto and gently placed her hand on Enala's shoulder, who slowly nodded her head in response. This caused Makoto's attention to turn towards Alexis, who was still sitting down in that large arm chair.

"…Don't you have to go home, too?"

Alexis sneered from her spot and lowered her feet from the table, standing up. Even though she was a lot shorter then Makoto, her presence made her seem a lot taller. "…Hmph. Don't expect me at your little 'training' session." Her comment was curt and to the point, and without waiting for an answer, turned on her heel and exited the apartment. Makoto sighed angrily and walked over to the table Alexis had kicked her boots up on, whipping the smudges down with her rag.

"You'll have to excuse her," Loren said softly down to Makoto, "She gets like that."

"I think I've figured _that _out by now…" Makoto sighed again and stood up, stretching, "…Say, Enala, are you sure you're okay?" Enala seemed a bit startled to be spoken to, nearly jumping out of her skin as Makoto talked to her, looking over at her and smiling weakly.

"F-f-fine…" With that, she gave Loren's arm a tug, signaling the red head to leave with her. Loren complied, looking back at Makoto.

"Goodbye. We'll see you tomorrow, then." She gave a wave, to which Makoto waved back, "Thank you for the tea. It was wonderful." And, with that, she disappeared out of the apartment with Enala, leaving Makoto alone in the silence of her room.

"…Those two…" She sighed, feeling slightly jealous, "…Makes me want to get a boyfriend soon…"

They walked alone in the fading light of the evening, the sun cast its last watercolored rays against the darkening sky. Everything was still in the twilight, the birds nestling in for their sleep, and most everyone had retreated to their homes to have some dinner and maybe watch television. Even Enala and Loren didn't say much as they walked the still, empty streets. Loren had her arm gently wrapped around Enala's shoulders, not caring what people might think seeing them like that. Let them see, like them think. Loren didn't care about what other people thought…just what Enala thought. That was all that mattered.

Enala gave a deep and heavy-hearted sigh, her head hanging down. Loren turned her attention away from the street before them and down towards the pink-haired girl. Her slender brows furrowed in concern, giving Enala a gentle squeeze.

"…Enny…" Once again, she used the pet-name she had given to the British girl, "What's bothering you? You're usually not like this…" Enala gave another sigh, shaking her head.

"…I'm worried," She whispered, "Worried about Usagi. I have been ever since he died…but now more then ever…if something out there is targeting her and is far more powerful then they've fought before…I'm afraid that I won't be able to protect her."

"You are correct, the situation is very dire," Loren admitted, squeezing Enala's shoulders again. "With threat of the Deathbusters, the mysterious Senshi, Darksaturn, and now this entity…both Usagi and everyone else has a lot on their plates. But…" She paused for a moment, hesitating slightly before continuing, "That is not all you're worried about is it…?" Enala found herself chuckling hollowly, shaking her head softly. The way her soft, pink locks gently moved with the motion of her hair caused Loren to smile even more down at her companion, finding it both breathtaking and adorable at the same time. But, her smile faded as Enala looked up at her with those pleading eyes.

"…You've always been able to feel what I feel, Loren…" Her voice quivered as she spoke, "…I feel...I feel like the Awakening is drawing very near…" It was Loren's turn to look startled. Enala continued to look up into her eyes, understanding that Loren seemed taken back by this phrase, before continuing; "Although my heart can only, truly feel connected to those I've watched over…I still feel like the others are drawing close to awakening to the Gods of their Planets."

"Is this not a good thing?" Loren asked as she continued to walk with Enala, "Would not their new found powers be able to defeat the enemy, whomever they may be?"

"While this is true…" Enala looked back down to the gray pavement below her feet as they walked, "…I'm also afraid because of it."

"Why is that?"

"I…" Enala sighed and hung her head even further, "…What Gemini said to Uranus about there being a _curse _behind her new form…"

Loren laughed and squeezed Enala's shoulders again, "Don't believe everything that comes out of Gemini's mouth, Enny. You should know that by now."

"It's not that!" Enala snapped, a very rare thing for her to do. Her eyes squeezed shut, her feet stopping within their movement. Her head lowered down to the ground as her fingers curled up into her palms, forming tight fists. She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white and shake from frustration. Loren also stopped walking and looked over at Enala, surprised to see her in such a state. "I know I don't remember everything of our past lives…but when Gemini said those words…somehow, deep inside of me, a memory stirred…concerning the Empyrean form!!"

The look of shock already painted across Loren's face only worsened. Her usually kind, emerald green eyes widened, as if terrified, her mouth hanging agape. It was almost like she _knew _the truth…but could not say it. Closing her mouth again, Loren turned to face Enala and gently took her hands within her own, squeezing them. Although she looked concerned for her leader, there was still that look of dismay on her pale features.

"Enny…" This caused the shorter girl to look up, "Do you…remember _that_…?"

Enala tilted her head to the side. That? _That?_ What was Loren referring to? Judging by the seriousness in her voice, and how intently she looked down at the leader with a mixture of worry and fear painted across her face, it must be something important. Was it…what she and Alexis were talking about in the café just a few days ago? The important thing that Enala felt was familiar, but couldn't put a finger on it? Sighing, she shook her head slowly, though kept her gaze with Loren's.

"…I don't know," She whispered, "Was _that _what you and Alexis were speaking about before…?" Relief clearly showed itself on Loren's face as she breathed out a sigh of relief, nodding her head and smiling down at Enala. So…it was concerning that…and somehow, Enala felt out of the loop, and it somehow was major and affected her, Loren…everyone. Still holding her gaze with Loren, she gave her hands a light squeeze. First, the subject at hand…and then she'd ask Loren about whatever 'that' was. "Loren…what I felt before…about the curse associated with the new form Uranus has, I feel that it is true; that, despite the great powers given to it, I feel that the form has many things wrong with it. Terribly wrong. While it may be powerful, it has far more _weaknesses _then it does _strength_, making the form very dangerous in and of itself. I have no solid proof of this, aside from awakening them too soon…it's just a gut feeling I have from the fragments of the past I no longer remember." She sighed again, "In addition…Usagi feels totally helpless right now because of her lack of a weapon. She wants to push towards that form…but I'm terrified of what might happen to her if she does achieve it."

Enala took a deep breath, before falling against Loren and wrapping her arms around the much taller woman, burring her head against her chest. Loren seemed a bit startled at first, though embraced Enala and held her close. Enala thought it felt warm and soft there, and the comforting presence of Loren's aura helped her stop the tears on the verge of falling. And…she smelled of lilacs blooming in the spring…still, Enala fought hard to keep herself from crying again. How many times had she cried in the past few days…?

"I…I can't loose anyone else dear to me, Loren!" Enala whimpered against Loren, "Not when I'm supposed to be _protecting _them! I'm so scared that something will happen to Usagi, whether it's because of her lack of powers or because of this new, strange form we can create for them! It…it makes me feel like I've _failed _as a member of the Zodiac, to know that these so-called ultimate forms might bring about the _doom _of our beloved Princesses! It terrifies me, and I have to find all of my strength not to burst into tears every second that I'm awake…it's too hard…"

Loren gently stroked Enala's hair, keeping her close to her. "Enny, you are stronger then you make yourself out to be…I've seen it before…and I know that you can be." She pulled away slightly, taking one hand and gently tilting Enala's face up, so their eyes met. "All we can do is observe how Sailoruranus is effected by this, and make judgment on how it will effect the others…and work on how to improve the faults you feel that exist. Worrying about that, or what the future holds…it will only bring grief and misery to those who worry. So please, Enny, don't make such a sad face…it breaks my heart to see you like that. Try to smile, because it will make everyone else smile around you in turn."

Sniffing, Enala reached a hand up and wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her sweater. She gave a soft nod and managed to crack a weak smile up at Loren, who chuckled down at her, gently tapping the tip of her nose.

"See, that's better." With that, she released Enala from her hold and turned to continue down the streets, "Why don't you come to my place for dinner? We can talk more there, and maybe I can help you feel a bit better, too." Enala turned a bit red in the face with this proposition, but nodded her head in response and fell into step beside Loren.

"…Okay."

Makoto had finished cleaning for the evening, after all of the guests that had been visiting, and after her own dinner. Some of her homework was done, though she felt the need to procrastinate a bit on it and tend to her plants. Carrying the watering can in her hand, she moved around her apartment and gave each plant their proper dose of water. However, as she looked at them while watering, her brows furrowed slightly. They weren't doing too well with all of the doom and gloom weather outside, and it concerned her. Perhaps she'd need to get a sun lamp so the poor dears wouldn't die.

Lighting flashed outside, followed by a low roll of thunder. Makoto sighed. Another storm was coming in, it seemed. All of this weather was really getting her down! Although storms were almost a second-nature to her, her body gathering a bit of a charge on those days…this felt different, somehow. What it was, Makoto had no idea, and the others didn't either. But, it seemed to be connected to the Deathbusters in some way…

Makoto went to water the plants near her apartment window. There was another flash of thunder as the skies opened up, dumping rain onto the street below. She found her eyes drawn towards the window. Something was pulling them there, besides the rain. And there, across the street stood Alexis, leaning against a lamp post. Her arms were folded across her chest, not giving a damn about the downpour that just started. Makoto narrowed her eyes, lighting flashing again, and noticing that Alexis's eyes were looking right into hers.

A chill ran down her spine.

Why was Alexis still out there? Didn't she have a home to go to?

Sighing, Makoto placed her watering can down and reached for her umbrella and proceeded outside. Why was she doing this? Alexis wasn't very nice, and she still looked at everyone with contempt. Their present position with her remained unchanged, at least as far as she was concerned.

Soon, Makoto found herself dashing across the street towards Alexis, the stocky Russian girl staring at her. She didn't move or say anything as Makoto raised her umbrella to protect the shorter girl from the rain.

"Why are you still out here?" Makoto asked, her voice as tense as she felt inside, "You'll catch cold in this rain!"

"The rain doesn't bother me," Alexis said flatly, though her tone wasn't as cold as it usually was, "But, why do _you _care?" Makoto blinked a few times, slightly startled by the comment. Why _did _she care so much? Alexis was a cold, cruel, uncaring girl who held no remorse or pity for human life. She was a disgrace to humanity – and to being a Sailor Senshi, too! – so why _did _Makoto care about what happens to her? Pity for such a woman? Pausing, she looked over her shoulder, watching the rain run down into the drains below, and then looking back at Alexis.

"I don't really know so much," She sighed, "Pity, maybe? Or maybe because Usagi wants us to try and be nicer to you…" Alexis' stare remained as cold and as firm as it was before, un-faltered and unmoving. She didn't say anything, either, just holding Makoto's gaze. It was a little unnerving, come to think of it, making Makoto feel a little uncomfortable. But, when Alexis said nothing more, Makoto went to break the ice. "A-anyway…why don't you go home? There isn't anything else to do here…"

"Don't have one," Alexis replied, seemingly un-phased by the fact that she didn't have one. Again, Makoto seemed startled, her eyes blinking a few times again.

"Er…you don't have a home?"

"No," Alexis grunted, almost as if Makoto was _supposed _to know that.

"No place where your cloths are, where you eat and sleep…?" Makoto asked harmlessly, though Alexis gave her a look that caused her to shut her trap. No home. Okay, she got it now…but why? "So how do you eat, or sleep?"

Alexis shrugged, as if it wasn't _that _big of a deal. "Feh. I eat out, of course, and sleep where I can. _Why _are you making such a big deal about it?! I don't _like _being indoors for too long, okay? Now stop asking stupid questions, dumbass!"

Makoto arched an eyebrow. Some kind of a phobia, or some kind of a personality disorder? Like, the opposite of agoraphobia? Who knew with Alexis what was going on. Still, she wondered why she was hanging around her apartment for so long. "So um…the home issue aside, why are you still hanging out here and looking into my place? If you don't want a place to stay or anything, why stay here and burn my house down with your stare?"

There was a long silence from Alexis as she simply store at Makoto. Those eyes of hers…those split-colored eyes, so deep and intense…they were unreadable. Makoto couldn't tell what Alexis was thinking or debating with that cold, hard stare. It made her increasingly uncomfortable from that stare, not because Alexis was checking her out or anything – god, Makoto hoped not! – but more like she wanted to burn holes through Makoto or cause her to die on the spot. But, she remained still and waited for her answer to the question. Finally, with another crack of lightning, Alexis finally opened her mouth.

"…I feel I can talk to you," Alexis responded, though her tone was as angry as ever. Makoto felt shocked, _yet again_, by what Alexis had said. The uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach only grew as Alexis continued. "You and I are not that different from one another…as _Senshi_. We share similar powers, and you're _not _the same emotional-sap as everyone _else _is…or someone who wants to rip my throat out then work with me." Whoever Alexis was referring to, Makoto had a good idea that it was Haruka; "The curse…is descending. It is beginning to stir in the others, and it is stirring in _you_."

The curse? "The one you were talking to Haruka about with her new form?" Alexis looked like she wanted to _hit _Makoto for asking, but she managed to refrain from doing so, though her tense pose did not ease up. She slowly nodded.

"The other Zodiac feel it, too…but they remain completely _ignorant _of the situation!" At this point, the good ol' Alexis angry-tone had returned, her teeth gritting as she spoke, "That power is _cursed_, and for good reason!! I care _nothing _of what happens to you, but I _need _all of you to be _alive_ so I can defeat that stupid bitch once and for all! Do not, I repeat, _Do not_ accept the powers that your Planet wants to give to you, or you _will _die. The others must know this as well if they wish to survive." She took a step forward to Makoto, staring intently into her eyes. Even though Alexis was several inches shorter then the brunette, she was imposing. Very imposing. That very look caused chills to run down Makoto's spine, though found herself unable to look away.

"_They_…will change as well," Alexis continued, "…And I feel new powers stirring within myself. But, until _she _is defeated…that power must never be used. _Ever_. Do not mistake my warning as concern. Just understand this: the more of that power you use, the greater risk you inflict upon _yourself_. Only _those two _will understand the horrifying danger associated with it…the others will not remember."

Slowly, Alexis pulled away from Makoto and began to walk away from her. However, she stopped in mid-step to glance back over her shoulder at the shorter girl. "Do not trust Sailorcapricorn, either. _She_ knows…but she will endanger those she holds dear with her _secrets_." And, with that, Alexis disappeared between the umbrellas of the crowd.

"…What the…?" Makoto stood there, baffled, wondering what the hell Alexis _meant _by all of that…

"Wow…!" Was all Enala could say as she entered into Loren's apartment. It certainly didn't look like a school student's apartment. It was lavishly furnished with beautiful pieces of redwood and dark oak, the entire apartment painted a variety of rich, warm colors. It was well-designed, with beautiful interior design and various nice pieces of sculpture, paintings and pottery, all of which looked very expensive. It was designed to look very modern and hip, and had little Japanese influence to it, save the little entrance way. Loren shut the door behind them and gently slipped her feet out of her shoes and began to walk across the hardwood flooring. "Y-you really live here, Loren?"

"Yes," Loren said, turning around to look at Enala and smiled, "Aren't you coming in?" Enala blushed and hurriedly removed her shoes, going over to Loren. "Of course, I don't live her on my own. It's actually my aunt's apartment, so none of the furnishings here are my doing."

"Ah…" Enala tilted her head slightly as the pair walked through the beautiful living room, complete with a gigantic television set, and into the kitchen. "You live with your aunt?"

"Yes," Loren gestured for Enala to take a seat at the table. Enala did so and smiled over at her friend, though didn't know that she lived with her aunt. Come to think of it, she really didn't know a whole lot about Loren's past, just of her past as Sailorcapricorn. As if reading her mind, Loren chuckled and went over to the black refrigerator. "I've been here for about five years now," She informed as she pulled some food in Tupperware out. "I hope you don't mind left-overs, Enny. It's usually what I have when my aunt isn't home." Enala shook her head in response, allowing Loren to dump the food into sauce pants and popped another into the microwave. "My aunt is an artist. All of the paintings, pottery and the like were all made by her. She's pretty secure in it now, and can afford such lavish things. But, she's not home a whole lot due to being stuck in her studio, or teaching art classes at Tokyo University and now, Mugen Gauken."

"Ah…" Enala replied, watching Loren cook, "…What happened to your parents, Loren? I-I mean, if you don't mind me asking or anything…" Loren seemed to pause once she put the tea kettle onto the stove. Somehow, it struck a nerve in her, and it caused Enala to grow uncomfortable. Hurriedly, she scurried up from her chair and went over to the taller girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "O-oh…I hope I didn't offend you, Loren!! I didn't want to make you sad or anything!" Loren sighed and closed her eyes, turning around and smiling down at Enala, gently placing her hand across hers.

"No, it's alright, Enny. You have a right to know." She continued to smile down at her, then returned her attention towards her cooking. "My father died when I was a young girl. He had terminal leukemia. Even though he was so gravely ill and started to reject treatment, he was still a very warm and kind person, always there for my mother and I, despite the fact that he was _dying_. I loved him very much, and it was devastating when I lost him. My mother was even more traumatized by his death, and fell into a deep depression for a while. My aunt had to fly in to care for me when she was admitted into a psychiatric ward, as she's the only family I have besides my mother. Eventually, my mother was released and was so much better, but the doctor's bills from both my father's sickness and my mother's psychological problems drove her into horrible debt. Every day, we did not know if we would have a full three meals. Even with food stamps, it was very hard for my mother to care for both of us. So, it was decided that I would live with my aunt until my mother could bring herself out of debt and support us both, and that is how I came here."

Loren couldn't even say anymore as Enala wrapped her arms tightly around her, holding her close. She buried her face against the back of Loren's blouse, trying to keep herself from crying again. Loren's eyes widened in surprise, though they softened again. She took Enala's hands within her own and gently lifted them away from her, turning around and facing Enala, and embracing her as well.

"Please do not be sad for me, Enala," Loren said softly, "I do not resent what my mother had to do. I understood that supporting a dependent would only further her debt, and this was the easiest way. I have moved on since my father's death, and even though I still miss is warm smile, his kind voice…I do not feel sad for my loss, because I remember him in my heart. I have become a stronger individual because of this, Enny. So you don't need to pity me or feel sad on my part."

"Loren…you've been through so much!" Enala lifted her head up to look into Loren's eyes, tears gently running down from the corners of her own, "I…I feel so awful that I've had such a pristine life compared to yours! I wish I could have _been _there for you…done _something _to save you from the sadness you felt! I wish I could have helped…I wish I could have been there…"

"There was nothing you could have done, Enny," Loren smiled warmly down at her, gently lifting her hands up to cup Enala's face, softly wiping her tears away with her thumbs, "I do not blame you for not being there. These things happen for a reason…if these things had not have happened, I would not be here…or even had gotten the chance to meet _you_. You are precious to me, Enala…and I would not want to change any portion of my history if it meant not knowing you…"

"Loren…" Enala whispered through her tears. Loren…she was so strong…

Loren smiled again. "For you…I would be willing to sacrifice _anything_…and if it was destiny that brought those ill things upon me, if the result was meeting you…then I would not have suffered in vein…Because…" That smile broadened as she leaned closer. "…Because…I love you, Enala." Those soft, blue eyes widened in shock as Loren leaned down, gently bringing her warm, soft lips the trembling lips of Enala. She kissed Enala warmly and lovingly, totally uncaring of what the world thought of their relationship. Totally uncaring of the fact that they were both girls. She loved Enala, deeply and truly, and no laws of what was right or wrong could stop that beautiful emotion from flowing deep within her.

Then, as gently, as she had initiated the kiss, Loren slowly pulled away from her trembling lover. She opened her eyes and looked down at the blushing Enala, whose eyes were still wide with shock. Loren chuckled and gently stroked her cheek. "You're not going to faint on me, are you, Enny?" Enala shook her head in response.

"N-no…" She managed to croak out. It was…so…so…she couldn't even think of the right word! Enala had never been kissed before, not once in her whole life, and she never thought that it would be with a _girl_! Always, she had dreamed of her knight in shining armor to come in and sweep her off of her feet and protect her from everything. A true fantasy story, played out within her mind. How he would defend her from bullies, how their eyes would meet by chance, how he would save her from her boring life and truly love her deeply and truly. A dream played out within her mind since a young age…but she never thought that the dashing knight would be a woman…

Her heart raced in her chest, on the verge to burst out. It was amazing that Enala remained standing and conscious, considering how much of that blood was being pumped into her face at that moment. She continued to look up at Loren's warm, smiling, _beautiful _face. Her legs felt weak, like they were going to collapse at any moment, but Loren held her close to her warm, soft body. Enala felt drawn into that gaze, into that warmth, into that _love _that she felt from Loren. A love that had not diminished since their past…only growing stronger as they learned to know each other in this life as well.

Realization began to hit Enala. Everything she had felt for Loren for all this time…it suddenly settled into her stomach, into her heart. The blush slowly lifted from her face as she regained her footing, her gaze not breaking from Loren's for a moment. Loren…was her knight. After all, she _did _wear armor, and it _was _shiny…and she had certainly swept Enala off of her feet. All along, deep within her mind, that story that she had painted out was fragments of her own past. Of how she and Capricorn met a long, long time ago…how she was adorned in glorious green armor, and how she had wooed Cancer, just like a dashing knight. The more Enala thought about it, the more she realized that the figure she always saw in these dreams was actually Sailorcapricorn…and, Enala realized that she was in love…with a woman…

And she was happy about it.

Slowly, Enala smiled. She propped herself up onto her toes and brought her lips to Loren's again, tasting how warm and sweet they were once more.

"I…I love you too, Loren…"

Enala was on cloud nine.

Pretty much all of the darkness and the grief of the situation before the conversation in Loren's kitchen had been pushed to the back of her mind. For the first time in her life, she felt happy, truly and contently happy. It was like nothing else mattered within this world, nothing but the love she shared with Loren.

The food didn't really matter at dinner, but the company. Even though Enala had felt this coming on for some time, she didn't fully understand how wonderful it would feel until she actually admitted it to herself. They just talked…talked about their lives, each other, mundane things with Loren occasionally flirting with Enala, much to her embarrassment.

Finally, once they had finished and Loren loaded the dirty dishes in the dishwasher – she insisted on keeping the place tidy regardless of the company – they retreated to her bedroom for the evening. It was rather small, but had a desk, some book cases and, of course, her bed there as well. Enala took it upon herself to wander over to the bed, adorned with a deep forest green comforter, and sat down upon it. Loren entered in behind her and closed the door.

"I do not want my aunt to be disturbed if we get too loud in here," She said with a smile down to Enala. With that, she reached across her back and pulled her braid across her shoulders, gently undoing the hair tie there and softly unbraiding it.

"I-its fine…" Enala smiled back at Loren, watching her unbraid her soft, strawberry blonde tresses. Once she was finished, she had a massive mane of beautiful, slightly wavy hair that trailed down to her ankles. Enala blushed slightly as she looked at Loren's hair, watching her walk over to the bed and gently sit next to her. "W-ow…your hair is so pretty, Loren! Why don't you let it down more often…?"

"Thank you, Enny," Loren chuckled and wrapped an arm around Enala's shoulders, gently pulling her into the crook of her neck, causing the much shorter girl to flush horribly. "I do try to take good care of my hair. But…it tends to get in the way, with it being so long, so I often braid it to keep it under control. It keeps it from getting knotted, too, so I usually only let it down when I am at home, or during special events." She smiled and ruffled some of Enala's bright pink hair, "Besides, you should know how active one can be as a Senshi.  Having that much hair would get in the way."

"I guess…" Despite how rosy her cheeks were, Enala felt very comfortable, snuggled this close to her. It was warm and comforting, and also, she felt very safe and protected within her Knight's arms. Her eyes took another look around the room, spotting a music stand with some sheet music resting on it. She looked back up to Loren. "Loren…do you play an instrument?"

"Huh?" She glanced towards the stand, looking back down at Enala and chuckled softly. "Oh, no. I sing…don't you remember that from the past?"

"Y-you do…?" Enala tried to remember, though there were still chunks of her past that she didn't really remember. A lot of the important stuff, of course, but not a lot of the minor things…it was all too long ago, after all. Loren chuckled again and raised her free hand up, gently tapping the tip of Enala's nose.

"Of course!" She continued to chuckle, "I used to sing to you all the time, especially when I couldn't be with you. Don't you remember? Over the communication center we all had, I'd occasionally call you up, just to sing to you…you loved hearing my voice, and you would become so happy when I would sing…so I couldn't resist." With this, Enala gained a distant and somewhat depressed look to her face, glancing away from Loren and down towards the carpet below, still flushed. Loren gave her a soft squeeze against her shoulders, reaching her hand out and gently lifting Enala's face up to look at her again. "Don't feel bad about not remembering, Enny. Here, I'll sing something to you. If you still don't remember, that is alright. I will not hold it against you."

While still holding Enala, Loren softly opened her mouth and allowed air to come through it, in the voice of a song. With that very first note that Loren sang, it sounded like the most beautiful thing Enala had ever heard in her entire life. The kind of a voice that could make an angel weep with pure joy…and, even though she did not understand the words, she felt tears coming to her eyes as well. Not so much of sadness, but at how beautiful the song was, how beautiful Loren's voice sounded.

She remembered now. How she was drawn to that sad and lonesome voice, singing across the balcony of the palace. How she followed the voice through the empty halls of the Moon Palace, finding Capricorn standing there, singing to the heavens. How moved she had become just by that one song, and how she first met her, face to face.

As Loren's song faded, Enala found the memories of her past begin to come up through her voice, "…I remember the first time we met. It was…several cycles ago. Every time a new Serenity was born, we Zodiac were allowed to come down for the gala, not as ourselves, but in dresses so they would not know of our secret purpose. It was…one of the few times we actually got together, besides joining together to defeat an enemy." Loren looked down to Enala as she spoke, finding her partners voice strangely mystical as the glossy look within her eyes were. She smiled softly. "You were new to the team…you were appointed last. I hadn't ever met you before, at least not face to face. Somewhere along the lines…you parted from the group. I remember…you were singing…and I followed that voice."

Loren continued to smile down at Enala, squeezing her shoulders again. "I remember that, too. The other Zodiac were not comfortable around me yet, since I had only communicated with them a few times…so I decided to leave and sing to the skies. I remember you showed up, tears in your eyes, wondering what was the matter…Even though I had not met you before that day, I had always respected you, Enny. You were such a strong leader, but also kind and compassionate as well. You were truly concerned that I was upset…but I simply said that I just felt a bit isolated, but you still hugged me tightly and said you would talk to the others, and practically dragged me back to the party!" With this, both Loren and Enala laughed. "And that was when I decided to see you."

"God, I was so mad at you for leaving your post!" Enala couldn't help but to laugh, "I was such a rule-follower. But…deep inside, I had _wanted _to see you again, even though I didn't want to admit it. Something about your song, and you, just touched me on the inside…and it made me feel very happy." She sighed and shook her head, "I kept telling you not to leave, over and over again, even if it was my secret wish to see you all of those times…but you never listened…somehow, I'm glad you didn't." She laughed softly, "Especially when I realized that I…that I was falling in love with you…and it kind of made me feel worse as a Zodiac because we were breaking the rules…" Enala's voice softly tapered away as she sighed deeply. Loren gently squeezed her shoulders one more time, gently reaching up and softly caressing her face.

"Mm…you want to know something…?" She looked back down at Enala, who met her gaze. Enala nodded. "I did not want to tell you in the past, because I knew it would upset you. But…just after we met, I asked Queen Selenity something."

"What…?" Enala blinked a few times.

"I went to her and asked her permission to occasionally leave my post in order to see you." Although Loren said this in a kind and loving tone, Enala's eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening slightly as well. Loren remained serious as she looked down at her, warmly smiling. "Even though we had just met that one time, my adoration and love for you was so deep and so true that I could not simply sit around and watch you from afar. I would have been driven insane by the desire to be with you. I told Queen Selenity how deeply and strongly I felt for you. I know, it seems very selfish, but living a life of solitude without you there…I would not have been able to handle it. Queen Selenity knew that love is a very powerful thing, and as the kind ruler that she was, granted me permission to visit you from time to time, so long as I still remember my duty as a Guardian and a Zodiac."

The shocked expression finally left Enala's face, her mouth closing and her eyes looking longingly up at Loren. "…Y-you did that…just for me…?" Her voice was quiet as she spoke. Loren chuckled and nodded her head. "…You really loved me that much…"

"I still do, Enny…" Loren gently turned around so she was fully facing her smaller counterpart, gently placing her hands against Enala's shoulders. "…Now more then ever. I wanted Queen Selenity to know and support our relationship, and she understood how much I loved you and wanted to be with you…and, thanks to her, we've gotten the chance to truly be together…" Smiling once again, Loren leaned in and softly kissed Enala again, feeling her cheeks burn from embarrassment. Even though she remembered a lot about her relationship with Capricorn in the past, Enala still felt flustered by the whole situation. It was a new experience for her, as Enala, and even as Cancer…she still got a bit embarrassed by being with Capricorn. They parted again, Loren chuckling down at Enala. "You really do not need to be so embarrassed, Enny."

"I-I'm sorry…" Enala whimpered slightly, looking off to the side, "I…I can't help it! I'm still not used to this…"

"Even though we have been doing this for a while…?" Enala nodded her head in response to Loren's question.

"E-even though we first kissed when Serenity – Usagi – was born…and we did do it several times after…I-I don't know. It still seems kind of new to me…" Enala tried to explain, but found her voice weak. "E-especially now, as Enala instead of Sailorcancer…" Loren chuckled and gently caressed Enala's face.

"I suppose that's what makes you so adorable, Enny," Loren whispered and gently leaned down again, hovering just a few inches above Enala's blushing face. "But…we'll have to get you used to this sooner or later."

** Lesbian Content Stars Here **

Gently, Loren's hands found their way to Enala's small shoulders, softly pushing against them and gently pushing her against the bedding. The soft waves of Loren's hair cascaded down from her back and almost formed a curtain around them as she hovered over Enala, whose flush had only deepened. She looked up at Loren with shock clearly painted in her eyes, the look only increasing as she felt Loren's lips gently kiss her throat. It sent a warm, tingling sensation down her spine, also accompanied by her heart beating heavily in her chest.

Loren softly kissed Enala's chin, lifting one hand up and resting it between her breasts, feeling her racing heart. "You don't need to be so nervous, Enny," She cooed softly, "This is perfectly natural, and you will enjoy it as well, I promise you. I won't hurt you, Enny."

At this, Enala managed to squirm away from the taller, slender woman over her and backed up against the opposite wall. She put her hand to her chest, feeling her heart beat even faster as she store over at Loren. It wasn't so much that she was afraid…it was just…startling how Loren had changed from soft and loving to a bit more…_aggressive_. She hadn't shown these kinds of behaviors from her before in the past, either! Loren simply crawled over to Enala and gently took her hands, bringing them down to her sides as she kissed her again.

"Please, just relax and enjoy this," She whispered against Enala's lips, softly kissing her again, "I will take it as slow as you need it to, Enny…just trust me that it will be wonderful in the end." Another soft kiss. Even though Enala tried to pull away from those warm, soft, loving lips of Loren, she kept on creeping closer and kept on kissing her, over and over again. Each kiss was deeper and more sensual then the last, sending Enala's heart into her throat with each intense, deep, loving kiss. Even though it was shocking to her and s he felt a bit uncomfortable, Enala could not deny that she liked it.

…Okay, she _loved _it.

Softly, she began to kiss Loren back. It wasn't as strong, or as intense as Loren's kisses were, but they were still loving none the less. Obviously, Loren had experience in the kissing department – or just remembered more about it from the past then Enala did – because it felt _wonderful_ to be kissed like that. But, on the other hand, Enala's kisses were soft, shy and somewhat awkward, but it did not stop Loren. In fact, she could feel Loren smiling against her lips as she kept on parting her lips from hers and kissing her again, over and over, that smile only growing. And, Enala began to feel herself start to relax within Loren's kisses.

"There we go…" Loren softly whispered against Enala, gently rocking back onto her behind and wrapping her arms around Enala's plump waist, pulling the smaller girl onto her lap and holding her close. The blush quickly returned to Enala's face, but Loren did not stop kissing her. Each kiss produced more intensity, more deep passion and desire from Loren, clearly showing Enala her actual intent. The fact that her slender hands gently slipped under Enala's shirt to gently run up along her spine added to it.

Enala had to _force _herself to break away from Loren, looking up at her with wide eyes. Loren slowly opened her own eyes, half-lidded, down at Enala. "L-Loren…?" Enala managed to stutter with a weak voice, "W-what…what are you doing…?" Loren smiled, but it was a bit different then her warm and loving smile, it was a bit more…well, _seductive_, for lack of a better word. Enala only blushed more.

"Isn't it obvious?" Loren's soft voice was also heavier then usual, "Enala, I have waited for so long to do this with you, as both Loren and Capricorn. I…I can't hold it back much longer. With love comes a physical desire…and I need that desire to be filled soon." Enala only blushed further as Loren gently rested her back against the bed, hovering over her once more. Her hand came out and gently stroked Enala's face and chin, gaining a somewhat pained expression on her face. "Besides…with the way things are going now…we might not get another chance to do this."

Enala squeezed her eyes shut and looked away from Loren, "D-don't say that!" Opening them again, she looked back up, reaching her hands to Loren's face and holding it gently. "Please…don't think that we won't have another chance…"

"You know it to be true, Enala…" Loren whispered softly, gently kissing one of Enala's palms, "The Darkness is growing closer…who knows when we can be intimate again…" Without waiting for a response from Enala, Loren leaned down and kissed her again, deeply and passionately, keeping their lips together for a few seconds. Then, she gently parted Enala's lips with her tongue before sliding it gently into her lover's warm, sweet mouth.

Enala felt like she was going to faint. In the past, she and Capricorn never kissed that way…so feeling someone else's tongue exploring her mouth very sensually was a bit alarming. But it felt so…so…so _good_. Enala wrapped her arms tightly around Loren's back and gently began to stroke her tongue against the one inside of her mouth, their appendages dancing softly around between their locked lips. Loren gently sat beside Enala, pulling their lips and, finally, their tongues apart as her hands moved down Enala's sides.

"Enny…if you don't want me to do this, I won't…"

Enala shook her head, blushing even more. "N-no…I…I want to…b-besides…like you said, we…might not get another chance…" Even though she didn't want to believe it to be true, even though Enala wished with all of her heart that the Deathbusters would just disappear and leave her to life a happy, peaceful life with the woman she loved…she knew that the danger was real, and so was the fact that they could easily die. Besides, although she was new to this whole experience, she trusted Loren and, deep inside, she wanted to do it. Loren seemed to sense this in her and gently pulled Enala's long sleeved shirt off, tossing it against the floor.

Enala flushed even more, especially when Loren gently slid the straps of her bra down, pulling her bra down to reveal her rather small breasts. The instinct to cover them up quickly shot through Enala's mind, but she kept her arms around Loren's back. She had to trust her.

Softly, Loren began to kiss her again, her hands reaching up to gently fondle Enala's breasts. Even though she didn't have a whole lot to begin with, Loren thought they were perfect and beautiful the way they were. Enala felt self-conscious about that – and her rather pudgy body – being exposed to Loren, but she didn't seem to care. Not at all. How chubby Enala was only added to how cute she was, and Loren loved every single bit of Enala, from her unshapely figure right down to every love-handle she had.

Loren's lips gently left Enala's own, softly moving them downwards, kissing along her jaw line, down her throat, to highlighting her collar bone. Goosebumps began to pimple across Enala's fair skin as Loren kept on moving downwards. Softly, her lips came down to one of Enala's breasts, softly taking the pink, hard nub at the center of one of them into her mouth and softly suckling on it.

"Ah!" Enala gasped and squeezed her eyes shut. Even though they hadn't gotten to the actual sex part yet, it felt so…well, she didn't expect it to feel that good. More over, even though Loren paid attention to one breast, her other hand fondled the other while that one, lone hand began to move itself downwards. Gently across her hips, across the fabric of her skirt, gently pulling it up slightly before running her fingers along Enala's inner thigh, stroking it gently. She gave another gasp of a mixture of shock and delight, finding herself begin to squirm slightly under Loren's touch. That hand continued to creep upwards, further and further, nearing their destination between her legs.

"W-wait..!" Enala managed to pant, causing Loren to stop all movements and lift her head up to look at Enala.

"Are you having second thoughts, Enny?" Loren asked softly, looking up with concern at her blushing lover. Enala shook her head, swallowing hard before saying something she didn't really expect herself to _ever _say in her lifetime.

"B-before…w-we go on…" She swallowed again, propping herself up onto her elbows, which even began to feel weak. She blushed even more before she finally said it. "C-can I…um…s-see them? Y-your breasts, I-I mean…" That blush only continued to grow as she looked away from Loren, turning Enala's skin nearly the same shade as her hair. Loren chuckled and sat upright, nodding her head.

"You don't need to ask about these things, Enny," She cooed gently, beginning to unbutton her blouse. "If you wish to do something within this bed, simply do it. I will not question what you want to do with me, alright?" Enala managed to nod her head, finding her eyes drawn to Loren even though she felt horribly embarrassed about asking such a thing. With the blouse removed, Loren undid the back of her bra and let it side off of her, revealing her womanly glory to Enala.

"G-god…" Enala managed to whisper softly, sitting up. Her hands came out and, after hesitating for a moment, softly touched Loren's breasts. "Y-you're so…beautiful, Loren…i-it makes me feel so lumpy and inadequate…"

"You're anything but, Enny," Loren gently eased Enala back onto the bed, "I think you are beautiful…just," A soft kiss against her neck, "The way," Another, against her chin, "You are." A final kiss pressing against Enala's lips.

"R-really…?" Enala asked, still red in the face.

"Really," Loren continued, kissing Enala deeply once more, her hands finding their way to Enala's thighs, softly stroking up them and nearing the prize she had been aching for so long…

** End Lesbian Content **

Soft, emerald green eyes opened to face near-darkness within her room. Only a small sliver of light shone through the bottom of the door, and light parting through the curtains across the window. Even without light, Loren could feel the warm body of Enala resting next to her, peacefully. She smiled softly, leaning down and gently kissing the other girl's forehead, before slipping away from her warm embrace. Hopefully Enala was having sweet dreams.

Sighing, Loren gently picked up an extra blanket bundled up on the floor, wrapping it around her naked shoulders. She walked across the carpeted floor silently, so as not to wake her partner, approaching her window. Reaching out, she gently grasped a hold of the fabric between her fingers and gently pulling it back, revealing the city of Tokyo in nightfall. The rain had finally stopped, revealing the beautiful full moon overhead. Loren found her eyes drawn to the beautiful symbol of the Silver Millennium, a secret history that only they knew.

Slowly, her eyes looked down to the still sleeping figure of her love, illuminated by the moonlight that shown into her room. Loren found herself smiling fondly. That girl…there was something special about her that simply touched her soul. Even when they first met as Capricorn and Cancer, there was that warm, inviting feeling unlike she had ever felt before. Although Sailorsaturn was very important to her, as well as Sailormoon, there was no one else that mattered more then Sailorcancer did in her life. As she silently watched Enala's form, she swore a vow to herself; she _would _be that girl's knight in shining armor, and she would protect Enala's happiness at all costs. As long as she could keep smiling softly, it would give Loren inner strength to keep on going. Without Enala, there wasn't that drive. Protecting her Princess was very important, yes, but Enala was truly what kept Loren going, what kept her strong…what kept her facing forward towards the Darkness. As long as that small light still shone in Enala's heart, hope would follow. But…with evil rearing its head in their direction, watching their every move, ready to strike at any moment…it seemed like their time to defeat them was running short, and so was the hope that shone within them. It worried Loren, finding her eyes drawn towards the window again, watching the moon once again. That feeling of dread simply didn't go away these days…

The Darkness was drawing closer at every moment. Although Loren did not know what caused it or what it was, she could feel it tingling in the back of her mind. It was a great Evil that had been building up for many years, something that she had been aware of since as far back as she could recall…both in her life as Loren, and as Sailorcapricorn. As a child, she had no idea what this feeling was, but it was growing stronger. Somehow, it was connected to all of this…everything that was happening. Even the dream Usagi had been somehow connected. And soon, very soon, it would consume them all…

"Ah!" Loren gasped, drawn out of her thoughts as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She whipped around to see Enala standing behind her, a concerned look within those beautiful eyes of hers. Loren breathed a sigh of relief and smiled warmly down at her. "Can't sleep either?"

"No…I keep having bad dreams." 

"What about?" Loren asked, opening her arms up for the smaller girl to nestle into, wrapping them tightly around Enala and holding her body close. Loren softly kissed the crown of Enala's hair, cradling her lovingly. "Anything like what Usagi saw?"

"Mmm…" Enala sighed softly, shaking her head before gently resting it against Loren's shoulder, "I never dream anything specific…just a lot of darkness and evil consuming everything. Everything's kind of a blur, but it's keeping me from sleep…"

"You feel it too, don't you?" Loren whispered softly against Enala's hair, "The Darkness that has been building up all of our lives…its getting stronger." Enala said nothing in response, silently pursing her lips together and squeezing her eyes shut, gently resting her head against Loren's shoulder and wrapping her arms around her. Loren sighed softly, gently cradling Enala close to her. "So you do feel it as well…"

"I…I'm scared, Loren," Enala whispered gently against her love, her form starting to tremble within Loren's arms.

"So am I, Enny," Loren sighed deeply, tightening her grip around the smaller girl, "But, we must be strong, and have faith in ourselves, and within Sailormoon. As long as we have our hope, and our light inside of us, then we can destroy this ever-growing Darkness once and for all…"

"I don't know if I _can _be strong enough…" Enala whispered, "…I'm not as strong as you are, or Usagi is…"

Loren chuckled softly, shaking her head. She gently lifted a hand up from Enala's back and softly touched it to her chin, gently lifting it upwards. She looked down into those bright, sparkling eyes Enala held, smiling warmly down at her. "You're stronger then you make yourself out to be, Enny. You just have to believe in yourself…just as you believe in each and every one of us."

"My belief…?"

"Yes," Loren continued, softly caressing Enala's face with her fingertips. "Your belief is what makes you so strong, Enny, just as it makes your Princess strong. It's what makes me love you so much, how much faith you have in everyone…and how sweet you are." She softly leaned down and gently kissed Enala's lips, then whispered softly against them. "I promise you, Enny…I will be the Knight you've always dreamed of having. I'll protect you…so that you can stay strong and remember your light…"

"Loren…" Enala embraced Loren even tighter, gently nuzzling her face against Loren's own. "…Thank you…for believing in me." Loren chuckled again, gently kissing her once more.

"Of course." She gestured back towards the bed, "Lets try to get some more rest. We'll need it for the battles ahead…" Enala softly nodded her head as the two began to move back towards the bed.

"…Loren…?"

"Yes, Enny?"

"…What does the future hold for us…?"

Loren only smiled down at Enala, before softly replying; "The future isn't something we can expect…for we write it ourselves."


	14. School Daze

**Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Eternal Darkness, Episode 14; _School Daze. The Witches 5 Return!_**

It was the day after that meeting at Makoto's house, and Usagi wasn't feeling any better then she was when she left. She was still rather shaken by that nightmare she had, not to mention it was stacked up on top of a bunch of other things going on in her life. Like Mamoru being deader then a doornail, the fact that her future-daughter might not even exist, people were dying left and right _and _she was currently without a useful weapon of any kind.

But today, of all days, was a day Usagi really wished that she had pretended she was sick. Right now, she just wanted to sleep, and with all of that Sailor Senshi crap today was the dreaded _math test of doom_. God. Why couldn't they cancel school when she had to do her Sailor Senshi stuff?!

Dragging her feet along, Usagi wasn't in any hurry to get to school today, obviously. More over, she was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, due to everything building up inside of her and the fact that she had a lot of trouble sleeping last night. Usually, Usagi was the type of person who could sleep anytime, anywhere and loved to sleep as much as she could…but, after that dream the night before, she was terrified of what lied behind her closed eyes. It wasn't a good position that she was in at this moment, and the last thing she wanted to worry about was how awful she would do on this upcoming test.

Finally, after procrastinating as much as she could with actually getting into the school, Usagi passed the front gate and began to make her way to the building. However, she stopped her movement when she saw a familiar head of royal purple hair, lingering to the sidelines.

Usagi found herself smiling a bit as she saw Ashi Hotaru standing there, changing her course and trajectory to the pale, lonesome girl. "Hey, Ashi Hotaru-chan!" Surprisingly, Usagi found her voice filled with the enthusiasm that it usually held, despite her internal feelings at the moment. Lifting her head up, Ashi looked down at Usagi. There was a puzzled look on her face; she seemed both confused with Usagi's found greeting, and also rather embarrassed about it as well. This, of course, caused a grin to form on Usagi's face.

"…Hello, Tsukino-san." Her voice was as quiet as it usually was, though still portrayed the confusion that her face showed, "Please, you don't need to call me that so fondly…"

"But…you're my friend, aren't you?" Usagi inquired with a tilt of her head.

"…We've only talked a few times…so how can we be friends?"

That phrase caused Usagi's entire stance to droop down, her head turning towards the ground and her face displaying the inner emotions she felt. "Oh." She said. Even her voice was clearly rung with depression. The only reason why she was so happy to see Ashi was because she was a new friend…but if she didn't consider her as thus, it really gave very little for Usagi to go on this day.

Seeing this reaction, Ashi found herself taken aback by how depressed Usagi suddenly became. Those deep, murky eyes of hers blinked a few times, before reaching out. Hesitating, she gently placed her hand against Usagi's shoulders in a somewhat comforting gesture, though it was a little bit on the stiff side. She just wasn't used to dealing with things like this. Usagi looked up slightly, into those cold and empty eyes of the pale girl before her.

"I…am sorry if I have offended you, Tsukino-san." That voice of Ashi's was as soft and timid as it always was, somehow devoid of all emotion. "I did not mean to hurt your feelings…"

Usagi managed to pass a weak smile and straightened up a bit. "Oh…it's not your fault! I-I guess I just jumped the gun…and…there are a _lot _of other things on my mind too."

"Oh…?" Ashi cocked her head to the side as she began to walk towards the school, Usagi following after her. "If you do not mind my curiosity…what is on your mind…?" Usagi's facial features twisted in odd ways, her face gaining a slight panicked look to it due to the inquiring.

Of course, she couldn't tell Ashi Hotaru what was _really _bothering her. She'd think Usagi was crazy! Weird dreams foretelling pending destruction, an evil woman depicted in it; the love of her life was dead; and the enemy they were facing kept on getting stronger and tougher. There wasn't a whole lot to hope on, but she had to keep going. Somehow. Cracking another forced smile, she laughed nervously and looked up at the taller girl.

"Eh…you know, we've got this huge math test today!" Usagi said with a wave of her hand, "Math is probably my _worst _subject! Well…along with English…and Japanese for that matter…and science…and calligraphy…and--"

For a moment, Ashi merely store down at Usagi with wide eyes, totally surprised at how much of a…well, idiot Usagi must be. Still, despite herself, she found her lungs gently chuckling, lifting a hand up to stifle the gentle laugh. It surprised her that Usagi could make her laugh like this; hardly anything could anymore. However, despite feeling the strange sensation of finding something funny, Usagi clearly didn't feel the same way.

"Hey!" She pouted loudly, "Are you making fun of me?!"

"Oh…no! I'm sorry, Tsukino-san!" Ashi was still giggling, but she managed to calm it down a bit. "I hope no offense comes from it. I found it somehow humorous…it's been so long since I have last laughed at anything…"

Usagi quirked her head up toward Ashi Hotaru…she hardly ever laughed? That seemed very pitiful for someone who seemed to be so nice. Then again, Usagi remembered the times she had encountered Ashi before, she always seemed very silent and emotionally distant, and also very lost and alone. Maybe even terrified. Now that she was feeling better about herself, Usagi decided that maybe helping someone else out would make her feel better, and try to forget all of the nasty things that had been going on the past few weeks.

Stopping in her tracks, Usagi slid around in front of Ashi and grabbed onto her hands. In turn, Ashi looked startled by the affectionate move, her face flushing a bit as Usagi looked into her eyes; a totally serious look crossed her face.

"Ashi-chan," Usagi still addressed her in a friendly manor, since it was just her way. "I really do want to be friends with you! You seem like a nice girl and I really want to help you with your problems! I want to make sure you laugh _every day!_ And I want to see you smile at least once! Okay?" That serious expression released itself with a broad and somewhat goofy grin. "And you don't need to address me formally. Just Usagi-chan will do! Okay?"

Again, Ashi looked very startled at how kindly Usagi was, almost in utter and complete shock. Those thin, pale lips of hers parted slightly as she store down into those beautiful blue eyes of Usagi's; intense and passionate, but also completely honest. She truly wanted to help her out, though Ashi believed she was beyond all help.

Slowly, she pried her hands from Usagi and took a few steps back away from her, much to the surprise of the other party. "I am sorry, Tsukino-san, but I do not think you should waste your time with someone like me." Then, with a soft and very polite bow, Ashi Hotaru hurried past Usagi before she could respond and quickly went into the building.

Usagi silently watched Ashi go, her head turning and then, her body following suit to watch Ashi's path away from her. Why…didn't she want any help? It puzzled Usagi as to why someone would not want to be friends with someone, why they wouldn't want to understand what it was to be a friend…or to laugh or smile. What a poor girl…but, it didn't deter Usagi's spirit. She _would _find a way to break through Ashi's defenses and make friends with her! She was positive of that!

However, Usagi was abruptly snapped out of her thoughts as the school bell rang, letting out a startled yelp and began to run towards the school. Oh god, she was going to be late _again!_

_~-~-~-~  
_

She had gone against the Master's order.

Eudial stood before four test tubes before her, occupying a large portion of her privet laboratory. Her hands flew across the keyboard before her, entering data while her red eyes scanned the screens before her, occasionally glancing up towards the tubes. They brimmed with odd colored water, bubbling about as the bodies within them breathed. The figures of four women floated peacefully amongst he bubbles and liquid, just ready to spring back to life. Just a little more… and she'd be able to restore their souls completely!

"Won't you get in trouble for this…?" Came a voice from behind her.

Gasping, she snapped around to look behind her; Eudial's eyes fell upon the figures of six female, perfect human-formed Daimons that she had created. That tense posture of hers relaxed considerably. Snorting angrily, she turned back around and returned to her work, fingers flying across the data table once again.

"And why should you care what I do?" She mumbled between clenched teeth.

"Do you not want the Master's favor?" The first one spoke again; a Daimon with tan skin, adorned in black and gold with long, blood red hair with an under layer of black. Out of the six, she was the defined leader, named Tigara. "He will be quite sour with you if you do not do what he sent you to do, instead of _fooling around _with previously-failed Daimons!"

"They will not fail _this _time." Eudial assured, feeling slightly annoyed with Tigara's attitude.

"Weren't you supposed to be gathering _Hoste _for him and the Dark Mistress…?" Another one, named Sodarin, with sweeping pale blue hair and adorned in white and dark blue. "She needs more if she is to awaken on schedule!"

"That is our primary function, after all." A third chimed in, with short white hair and in white and pink, called Quartrl. "Gather _Hoste _for the Master, and bring our dark reign over all Life in the Universe! To bring about an utter and complete _Silence!_"

"_Fools!!_" Eudial bellowed, snapping around and looking at the group with flame burning within her red hues. Those slender fingers of hers curled into tight fists, wound so tight that her knuckles began to turn white against the strain. Blood began to drip down from between her clenched fists, slipping down onto the floor and burning into the stone, as if it was liquid lava. Even Tigara backed away at this, knowing full well that Eudial was much stronger then they were.

"Do you not understand the greater purpose in this?!" She hissed, thrusting her hand to the side, "While I was able to create you from scratch, you are _nothing _compared to the other Witches who came before you! Just like the Master, their strength has increased ten…no…_fifty _times since their defeat!! With them, and only them, can I, Magus Eudial, defeat those who once scorned us! Only _then _can I acquire the _Eternal Darkness!!_" Taking a step forward, Eudial pointed towards the Daimons before her. "Do not ever question me again! I _created _you, and I could easily _take _away what I have given! Do not _forget _that!" Finally, she made a dismissing gesture with her hand. "Leave me."

The group of Daimon quickly left the room, leaving Eudial to her work.

"Soon, my friends…soon you shall walk again!"

~-~-~-~

Usagi groaned loudly as she sulked out of the classroom. The horrible, horrible math test was now over, and it was lunch time. Normally, she would have been ecstatic to chow down on some food and not think for a while, but right now, she was feeling down in the dumps since she knew she would do horribly on it. And probably need to retake it. Groan!

The group had decided to eat outside, since it was actually sunny out, a nice break from the horrible storms they had been having. They would meet under a large tree in a secluded area of the school yard, to talk about everything that had been going on. Hopefully they could lift her spirits up a bit.

Exiting the building, Usagi saw the group across the way and brightened up a bit. It looked like Enala and Lizzie were with them, too; it was nice to have their new friends relax around them, and offered some new insight on various things going on. Smiling, Usagi waved over to the group and jogged over to the tree, finding a nice comfy spot on the grass and plopping down, withdrawing her bentou box.

"So, how did you guys do on the test?" Makoto inquired, "I think I did pretty decent this time, thanks to Ami's advice!"

"We'll have to wait for the scores, though!" Minako giggled, though her expression quickly dropped when she realized she, too, would probably do bad on it. "I think I totally _bombed _it!"

"Usagi probably did, too," Commented Lizzie, taking a bite out of a ham and cheese sandwich.

"HEY!" Usagi barked, "Don't assume that I did bad just because I do bad on _everything!_"

"Hence why she's assuming, Odango." Haruka chuckled softly, her smirk remaining on her face as Usagi burned holes through her.

"You really should study more though, Usagi-chan." Ami said softly, "If you keep doing so badly on tests, you won't be able to get into a good University."

Usagi pouted and snorted, crossing her arms. "But studying is no fun, Ami-chan!" This caused Ami to sigh in response, though Usagi just kept on going. "Besides…with everything _else _going on these days…why can't we just stop going to school when a new enemy shows up?"

"People would quickly grow suspicious," Michiru explained, "If we all suddenly disappeared around the same time the Sailor Senshi appeared, people would wonder if we were really them."

"I've been finding…that there's more to life then just being a Sailor Senshi," Enala said quietly, nibbling on a nice red apple, "We should try to enjoy our normal lives as best we can now…before--" However, her voice caught in her throat before she could say anything further. Even though Enala didn't finish her sentence, everyone knew what she was going to say. Suddenly, the cheerful air about them became dark and somber, everyone staring down at their food.

Finally, after a long and uneasy silence, Minako spoke up, "C-come on, guys…lets not be so down in the dumps!" Even her voice was a bit weak, "We have to keep looking forward…right?" Everyone merely nodded their heads slowly, searching their brains to come up with a lighter tone of conversation.

The idea struck Usagi, who lifted her head up and smiled as best she could. "Say guys…do any of you know of a girl named Ashi Hotaru? She goes to this school."

"Ashi Hotaru?" Haruka blinked her eyes a few times, "Yeah, Michie and I know her. She's in our class."

"Why do you ask, Usagi-chan?" Michiru inquired.

"Well…we've run into each other a few times on the way to school," Usagi managed to say past the food she was currently stuffing into her mouth. "She seems really nice…but really isolated, too! I was wondering how she acted in your guys' class…"

"Very…distant," Michiru said with a sigh, "She hardly says anything to anyone else. She only speaks when called upon, and even then her voice is hardly audible. Many others in our class find her very strange and creepy, so no one ever talks to her, anyway." Usagi noticeably drooped down when she heard that, depressed that everyone thought Ashi was weird.

"There's more," Haruka continued, "Even though she keeps to herself…every time she looks at me, I sense a deep and unfathomed regret coming from her. A lost and sorrowful feeling…"

"Regret?" Makoto muttered, "Why would she feel regret towards you, Haruka-san?"

"I feel the same thing," Michiru said.

"Odd…" Ami delicately pressed her hand to her chin, "Do either of you know her from outside of school?"

"I would have remembered someone like her," Came Haruka's response, "Real pretty, but something just isn't quite…_right _about her."

"Usagi-chan, why are you so curious about her, anyway?" Minako inquired.

Sighing, Usagi glanced down towards the grass below her skirt, "Well…I really want to help her out, and that's all. The first time we met…I was still feeling a lot more down then I usually was. She…was as lost and alone as I was, but it wasn't because she had lost anyone…it was because she never _had_ anyone. No joy, no happiness…I made her laugh today and she said it was the first time she laughed in a long while." Looking up again, she glanced at the faces of her friends, "I want to try and make her smile. If I can get her to smile, maybe I can feel a bit better about myself, too…plus…someone like that should know what it is to be happy, to be loved!"

"You pity her, don't you Usagi?" Enala said in a soft tone, looking into the eyes of her Princess. Usagi nodded her head.

"Still…if Haruka and Michiru sense something is off about her…" Makoto mused, though quickly stopped her train of thought once she received a glare from Usagi. Laughing awkwardly, she reached up and scratched the back of her head. "W-well maybe it's because she's so isolated and doesn't know a lot of things other people know."

"Is she like, emotionless or something?" Asked Lizzie, tilted her head to the side.

"It certainly feels that way to me," Michiru informed, "But…it's a mixture of not having emotion and being utterly consumed by nothing but sorrow."

"The poor girl…" Minako whimpered.

Suddenly, Usagi gasped and sprung to her feet, causing everyone around her to become very startled. She placed her bentou box down and quickly scurried across the field. All eyes followed a wave of blonde pigtails across the way. Usagi had made her way towards none other then the subject of their discussion, Ashi Hotaru.

The pale girl was standing silently by the edge of the building, being totally ignored by the students. Her eyes quickly fell to Usagi, who made her way over and grabbed onto Ashi's hands, gently pulling her away from the building and back towards the group.

"T-tsukino-san?" Ashi gasped, "What are you doing?"

"Come on, Ashi-chan!" Usagi managed to smile brightly, a rare occurrence these days, still urging Ashi to follow. "I want you to meet my friends!"

"Please do not, Tsukino-san," Ashi seemed very insistent on not going, but Usagi kept her hands wrapped firmly around Ashi's, still pulling her forward. "I am fine on my own."

"No, you're not!" Usagi insisted, "You're _not_ fine! I can tell that just by talking to you these few times! Trust me, my friends are really nice! They'll treat you right and not back away just because you're quiet!"

"I have already told you that you do not need to worry about someone like me…"

"And I'm telling you that I'm not giving up." Usagi's voice was serious as she finally finished dragging Ashi Hotaru over towards the group she had been sitting with. Turning around to face them, with one hand still holding Ashi's warm, slender one, she gestured towards her with her free hand. "Everyone, this is Ashi Hotaru-chan! Ashi-chan, these are my friends; Ami-chan, Mako-chan, Minako-chan, Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Enala-chan and Lizzie-chan!" As she said each of their names, she gestured towards each individual. "Please come and sit with us!"

For the group sitting before Usagi, they were glad to see Usagi smiling again, and being so enthusiastic about meeting new people and making new friends. It was a nice change for her over the past few months since the Zodiac first appeared. Still…there was something _odd _about Ashi Hotaru. As Ami studied the sheepish girl, she noted that she was incredibly uncomfortable being dragged into such a social environment. While this could be credited to her, perhaps, being an introvert by nature – or maybe even slightly social phobic – there was more to it then that. It was almost like…Ashi felt some great remorse being with them. That feeling of regret that Haruka and Michiru had described was very present as she looked down at them.

When Usagi dragged Ashi to sit down, she was pretty much stuck. It was Minako who spoke up first, also feeling that regret coming from the pale-skinned girl. "Ashi Hotaru-san," She asked, "Have we met before? I get the feeling that we have…"

In response, Ashi only turned a bit red in the face, a nice change from her unhealthily pale complexion. "N-no. I do not believe so, Minako-san."

Ami kept looking over at the pale girl. There was more to her then just that feeling of regret and self-pity. Her name, alone, was questionable; come to think of it, Ami had seen her name listed under test scores, and noted that the kanji was…unique. The word Ashi often referred to someone's leg, but the kanji that her name was made of translated into "Evil" or "Darkness." The second name she had, Hotaru, bore the same meaning that their Hotaru had, meaning firefly. But, Ashi used katakana for that portion of her name. Still, it bore the same meaning; firefly. And her surname…Rinjuu, meant "Moment of Death" with a possessive at the end of it. Evil Firefly's Moment of Death.

Who in their right mind would name their child that?

For some reason, Ami's mind began to look to Darksailorsaturn; a mirror of Saturn, the dark side of Saturn, whatever you wished to call it. An Evil Sailorsaturn. And now, they had a girl that was the dark side of Hotaru, name wise. And the feeling of regret--

But, Ami could not jump to conclusions, not just yet. More over, she could not voice this suspicion until Ashi was no longer sitting with them. However, just because her name was slightly suspicious did not mean anything in the long run. It could all just be coincidental, or maybe just a run of bad luck. But, as she found in this world, sometimes things were more connected then they appeared to be…Ami would just have to do a bit more research into this before making a final statement.

The more Ashi sat there, the more uncomfortable she was. While the others continued their mindless banter, she looked like she just wanted to leave. She wrung her skirt fabric between her hands and shifted weight between her knees, her eyes darting around, looking for an escape. No one really talked to her, just talked _around _her. Not that it seemed to bother Ashi. Her eyes darted up to the sky for a long moment, as if…focusing on something up there.

Just then, a cool front began to blow in as their sun disappeared from the skies. The wind picked up considerably as a really heavy storm front came rolling in. To this, Minako and Makoto groaned in unison.

"Just when it was looking like a nice day!" Minako whined, quickly gathering her things and getting up. A loud boom of thunder echoed in the distance, causing the other students to quickly finish up and begin heading indoors before they got caught in the storm.

"I guess we'll continue inside?" Enala sighed softly. "Well…everyone who is in my class, that is…"

"We should probably start heading back, anyway," Michiru added as they began to walk towards the building, "Lunch will be over soon regardless of the weather." To this, Usagi groaned and tucked her bentou box under her arm.

"We can continue this later, right Ashi-chan?" She inquired, finding herself smiling, glad to have a new friend. Glancing across her shoulder, Usagi looked towards the spot where Ashi had been sitting…only to discover that she wasn't there anymore. "Eh?" Blinking, she glanced around the field outside of the school, but couldn't find her pale friend anywhere. "Where did she go…?"

"Usagi-chan!" Ami urged as another clap of thunder echoed overhead. This brought Usagi's attention back to the group, gasping loudly and hurrying to catch up with them.

"H-hey, wait up!" She wailed, going as fast as her legs could carry her.

_Still…I wonder where Ashi-chan went…_

_~-~-~-~  
_

It had been raining ever since the end of lunch. The skies were dark and brooding, with bolts of lighting parting the heavens and giving of loud claps of thunder. The rain heavily beat down against the windows of the school, making it one very noisy storm outside. The teachers tried their best to talk above the storm, but with a bunch of worried students, it was becoming increasingly difficult.

Usagi was horribly distracted the entire time. Not like she wasn't 90% of the time she was at school, but there was a lot on her mind right now. Of course, the ongoing events concerning all of the enemies that were coming out of the woodwork, but she was also worried about Ashi, too. She was an odd girl, but horribly lost and alone in the world, and Usagi wanted to try and make her happy somehow, despite not being happy herself. More over, the strange storms had come up again, storms that seemed to never end. Sure, while it was common to have some stormy weather this time of year in Tokyo, having _this much _was a little odd. More then a little odd, it was downright creepy!

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, an incredibly loud crash of thunder and a huge flash of lighting occurred, and the power completely died out. All of the students gasped loudly and whined a bit.

"Settle down!" The teacher said in a calm voice, "I'm sure the power will pop up again soon."

More groaning. Of course, Usagi wasn't going to complain; if the power remained dead for a while, she'd get to go home! Just about to pray that it remained off, a feeling of intense dread and fear began to fill up within the pit of her stomach.

Something wasn't right, buried in this darkness.

The only light they had was the bright flashes of thunder, and through that darkness, Usagi slipped away from her seat and snuck into the hallway. She wasn't too surprised when Minako, Ami, and Enala quickly followed her out there, the quartet standing within the still darkness.

"You felt it too?" Minako whispered, careful to not let her voice carry into their classroom.

"Yes," Ami said softly. "Something is horribly wrong here…"

That feeling quickly manifested itself as tendrils of dark, black mist began to flow into the hallway. The quartet quickly turned around to see a figure emerging from the darkness; twisted glaive within her hand, black angelic wings behind her, eyes that reflected no light…

Usagi gasped as she saw the figure of Darksailorsaturn emerge from the shadows. The willowy figure was slowly approaching them, though made no move to attack. However, Usagi and the others knew that they couldn't transform here; it would reveal their identities to the Shadow of Silence! Usagi merely backed up as Darksaturn approached, remaining silent and trying her best to remain calm.

More over, she had managed to survive one of their attacks, yet again! A group attack with all of them there, and three Zodiac?! How could she have possibly lived…?

Finally, Darksaturn spoke; "I have no qualms with you today, Sailor Senshi." She said in her deep, echoing voice. Usagi's eyes widened in shock as Darksaturn said that. She…she knew who they were?! How? Why hadn't she done anything to dispose of their civilian forms if she knew?!

"How do you know that?!" Minako hissed, pointing towards Darksaturn.

"We all know," Darksaturn said quietly, stopping just before them, "But I do not wish to fight you today. My duty is elsewhere."

"'We all...?'" Ami inquired, narrowing her eyes at the Shadow. "Who entails this 'we?'"

"That is none of your concern." Darksaturn said, lifting her glaive up and pointing the blade at them. "Now stand aside, as I have a mission to conduct."

"We won't let you pass!" Minako shouted, uncaring if anyone else cared to hear her. "Venus Crystal--"

"We can't transform here!" Enala said in a hushed tone, "Everyone will see and hear!"

It seemed like Darksaturn hadn't taken a course in patience, as she slammed the butt of her weapon down into the tiled floor and used it like a pole, vaulting herself over the quartet's heads and began to continue to move swiftly down the hallway.

"We need to do something…" Usagi said softly, "I can't…I can't let any more people die!!"

"Let's follow her and find someplace safe to transform," Ami instructed, and began to dash off, with the others close behind her. They were soon joined in by Makoto and Lizzie as they rushed down the hallways, finding the Shadow of Silence disappearing into a classroom.

Screams soon followed.

With the screams echoing from the rooms, the group could safely transform without any problems. In a flurry of prism-colored energy, the door to the classroom flew open as the group of pretty suited Sailor Soldiers ran in.

The students began to flood out of the room as they observed the damage. There was a massive clearing within the desks, the desks having been flung to the sides with ease. One of them pinned another limp, lifeless body against the ground, a smear of blood painted across the wall from where his head made contact with the wall. The teacher was backed up against the wall, her desk buried against it. In the very center of the room stood the shadowy figure of the Angel of Death, Darksailorsaturn, her glaive butt buried deep within the breast of a young female student.

Sailorlibra gasped when she saw the face of the girl on the floor. "Hey, I know her!" She exclaimed, "She transferred in the same day Enala and I did! An exchange student from America…" It was true that the girl was American, due to her facial structure. A pair of thin, oval glasses rested on her nose, her pale blue eyes slowly beginning to turn pure white as her soul was extracted. Her hair was a light brown color and slightly wavy, ending just past her shoulders.

"I…I won't allow this!!" Sailormoon shouted, causing Darksaturn to look up from her pray and withdraw her glaive from the poor girl's chest. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"

Just like before, the beams from the spear that once belonged to Scorpio were much weaker then if it was done with her tier. The golden light shot towards the Shadow of Slience, who lifted her glaive and batted the beams aside, knocking them towards a nearby wall and creating a small explosion. The girls in the classroom screamed, still trying to squeeze their way out of the room.

"As I have said, I do not wish to fight you today, Sailor Senshi." Darksailorsaturn said softly, leaping backwards.

"Well, do you just expect us to sit here and do nothing?!" Sailorjupiter shouted, lifting her arms above her head. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"

The Shadow of Silence clearly wasn't intent on doing any serious damage, or she would have done so already. Raising her glaive up, she bared it towards the combined attacks and smacked them back towards Venus and Jupiter. Thankfully, their nimble bodies were able to dive out of the way as their attacks crashed where they stood, creating an explosion of green and golden energy.

During the mayhem of dodging the attack, they failed to notice Darksaturn making her exit. She leapt backwards, through the windows, and shattered the glass behind her. Her large wings beat against the air and slowed her decent down towards the ground.

"Come on!" Sailorlibra shouted, dashing and jumping out of the window after Darksaturn, followed by the others. "I _won't_ let Jenna die in vain!" She shouted as she fell down towards her enemy, baring her sword down to the giant glaive. There was a loud clang of two sheets of metal clashing together, Libra gritting her teeth and using all of her strength to bare down on Darksailorsaturn. "Give her soul back!"

Expressionless as ever, Darksaturn shoved Libra's sword back and jumped backwards, pointing her weapon towards them. "Silence Buster." A wave of black lighting shot from her Dark Glaive and hit Sailorlibra square in the chest, causing the lithe Soldier to scream in pain and shooting her body back towards the school, sending her crashing into a wall.

"Libra!" Cancer shouted over her shoulder, and then aimed her sphere towards Darksaturn. "Cancer Crushing Force!!"

She was joined by the familiar voices of Sailoruranus and Sailorneptune; "World Shaking!"

"Deep Submerge!"

Swirling vortexes of energy came towards Darksailorsaturn, who used her wings to her advantage. Leaping off of the ground, she soared into the air, causing the trinity of attacks to combine and create a large explosion where she once stood. For once, her expression changed to that of a sneer, pointing her glaive down towards the ground again.

"I don't have time for this, not today!" Darksailorsaturn's usually emotionless voice was bitter and angered as she shouted this. Black lighting coiled around her weapon as she twisted it above her head and in one mighty swoop, thrust it down towards the ground. "Everlasting Darkness!!" She screamed, releasing a huge bolt of black energy down towards them.

They braced themselves as the bolt hit the ground, creating a massive dome of negative energy, reaching out past where they stood and towards the school. The dome suddenly contracted and created a massive explosion that could only be considered utterly and completely devastating.

Her ultimate attack.

And it worked.

~-~-~-~

The light that filled the room from the entrance way suddenly became blocked. Eudail's head twitched when she felt that shadow fall upon her form, though she did not look back. She wasn't too happy to be interrupted again, so she merely gritted her teeth and hissed out a response.

"What is it _now_?"

Behind her, Darksailorsaturn went down onto one knee and bowed her head towards the woman she feared. Lifting her hands up, she called forth the glistening soul she had just collected from Juuban Senior High School, the spherical entity floating above her hands.

"I have found a pure Hoste for you, Mistress." To this, Eudail turned around and looked at the crouched Sailor Senshi before her feet. A thin eyebrow slowly arched itself upwards, above where the other one rested.

"And you are not giving it to the Master?" She inquired with curiosity within her voice. Darksaturn shook her head.

"I fear you far more then him." She admitted. This only caused Eudail to smirk down at her charge, reaching her hands out and accepting the gift of a pure and powerful Hoste to give to her little…experimentation.

This would be _just _the boost that _they _would need! The experimentations needed only a little bit more in order to awaken, and Darksaturn had gone out and found some for her! Eudail couldn't help the devious smirk that formed across her lips as she gazed at the glistening soul within her fingers. Briefly, she lifted her eyes up from the orb of energy within her hands to gaze at the crouched warrior before her.

"Well done." She said in a cold and stark tone, "For once, you haven't failed _me_, Takulira. You may leave." With a bow of her head, the Shadow of Silence rose from the ground and turned on her heel, exiting the lab. Eudial's gaze returned to the _Hoste _within her hands, her smirk returning to her sadistic face.

Turning back around, Eudial lifted her hands up once again, directed towards the four tubes that rested before her. The dangerous smirk upon her lips only grew in size as the soul split into four pieces, wisps of glowing energy from the soul trailing out from her hand and towards each of the four tubes. The energy wrapped around each of the four figures encased within the tubes, sleeping until they could be fully restored once again.

As soon as the energy from the _Hoste _became absorbed within the four bodies, the entire lab began to quake violently, pieces of the stone ceiling falling down and smashing into the lab equipment below. Bubbles began to from, flowing from the mouths and noses of the four women encased within their tubes. The shaking became so much more violent, spreading further into the citadel, thick fissures spearing through the floor of the lab. It was evident that whomever Eudail was waking up, they were quite powerful indeed.

Slowly, cracks began to form within each of the tubes. Micro-fissures spread out like a delicate spider web across the glossy surface of the tubes; on the verge of shattering completely. It didn't take long for the cracks to fully spread across the tubes, Eudail's eyes going wide and manic as she held her hands to the sides, cackling like a complete madwomen at the destruction and the awakening of her little pet-project.

Suddenly, four pairs of multi-colored eyes snapped open, glowing fiercely with their individual colors, and at that very moment the tubes completely shattered, spraying sharp glass shrapnel everywhere; the orange-colored liquid burst from their tubes and flooded to the cracked floor. Slowly, the figures of the four women lowered down to the bottom of their tubes, the Deathbuster Star burned upon each of their foreheads.

"Finally!" Eudail exclaimed, "The Witches 5 have returned!"

~-~-~-~

"Mm…"

Slowly, Sailormoon's vision began to regain its focus, the darkness lifting from her sight. The sky was still dark and gloomy overhead, though the rain was no longer falling. Or, at least, it didn't feel like it was.

Wait…she wasn't dead?

Sailormoon abruptly sat straight up from where she was resting, finding herself nestled comfortably on the lawn of her school. Just beyond her was the smoldering crater created by Darksailorsaturn, and it ate a good chunk out of the grounds and a portion of the school. Oh god, what if the students didn't get out in time?!

"Are you alright?" Came a soft voice from behind Sailormoon, drawing her attention back that way. Sitting behind her was a fair-skinned Sailor Senshi with beautiful long, white hair that fell down around the ground where she knelt. She wore a white solid-piece fuku with a long, frilly skirt that almost went to her knees with intense darts running up the sides and with lacy layers underneath. She wore a blue sash around her waist that tied in a large bow, spilling down towards the ground with white lacey designs towards the bottom. Her collar was blue with an overlay of white lace, and she had a blue bandana tied around her forehead with white lace over it. Blue gloves rested on her hands with several silver bracelets on each, with ribbon criss-crossing up her arms and up her legs. She was fairly pretty as well, with a pair of deep blue eyes gazing out from beyond a pair of glasses. Sailormoon recognized that mane of white hair from the other day.

"You…you were the one at the fair, weren't you?" She inquired, receiving a gentle nod in response. Slowly, the others around here began to wake up as well, stirring from their unconscious state. Somehow, they were all alright, despite the fact that they probably should have been dead. "Who are you?"

The Sailor Senshi smiled as Sailorcancer sat up and looked at her. She gasped. "Sailoraquarius?!"

"Yes."

"But…your hair! How did…?" Cancer gasped, her eyes wide with shock.

"Our Princesses are linked directly to our own Sailor Crystals," Sailoraquarius said in a soft tone, pulling her hands in towards her heart as she spoke, "When their forms have evolved, we, too, will undergo our first and only evolution. Sometimes our appearances will alter."

"Sailoraquarius…" Sailoruranus breathed, looking over at the fair-skinned and fair-haired Senshi that sat before them. She gazed at the beautiful figure, remembering that soft and gentle voice that spoke to her during the time when she was…well, _dead_. Now Aquarius sat before Uranus, and she found herself smiling at her. "Now I can put a face to that voice." Aquarius' head turned to her Princess and, instead of smiling, her face became stricken with worry. She pressed her hand to her lips.

"Princess…please forgive me for awakening your power before you were ready," She whispered, her voice barely audible, "It was the only thing I could do to save your life." She bowed slightly at the waist, as best she could while sitting down, in response.

Sailoruranus found herself chucking at this, giving a gentle shake of her head. "There's nothing to forgive." She said simply, looking over at Aquarius. Somehow, Uranus couldn't help but to keep herself from smiling. "You saved me then, and you saved us now…didn't you?"

"Mm." Aquarius gave a soft nod of her head, a look of relief washed over her face. "When my full potential was unlocked by awakening you, I was given the ability to protect those dear to my heart. I sensed that you were in danger, Princess, so I acted quickly to save your lives."

Sailormoon gasped suddenly, "But what about the students--??" She felt her stomach twist in tight knots when she saw the pain-filled expression that crossed Sailoraquarius' face. The fair-haired Senshi of Life averted her gaze from Sailormoon's, as if looking into her deep, blue eyes would cause her to fall apart at any moment.

"I…I did not have the time nor the energy to save them. Please forgive me, Princess Serenity--"

For a moment, it seemed as if time stood still. All sound that surrounded them; the ambient noise of the city, the sound of sirens wailing, drawing closer and closer…even the words that continued out of Aquarius' mouth didn't reach Sailormoon's ears. All she heard was the sound of her own heart, leaping into her throat, and her suddenly rapid breathing. At once, she could almost hear the screams of those poor, innocent students getting caught in Darksailorsaturn's attack, feeling their life-force fade away and their cries of anguish silencing abruptly.

Her panic-stricken blue eyes snapped back towards the school, seeing the huge and smoldering crater resting there. It had ripped through a good thirty feet of the school, as well as a large portion of school grounds as well. In her mind, Sailormoon could see the classrooms laid out, the students minding their own business within the darkness; and then suddenly, each and every one of their lives were snuffed out swiftly and silently.

Oh god.

She _knew _some of the students in those rooms!

Everything sped up again as Sailormoon staggered to her feet, slowly making her way towards the school. "I-I have to help them. I have to save them!!"

"Princess, there's nothing that we can do!" Sailorcancer shouted, leaping to her feet and grasping Sailormoon's arm. Her Princess shook her off and continued to wobble towards the destruction before her. "They're gone!! Aquarius did _everything _in her power to save them! But she can only save those her heart is close to!"

"I don't care!!" Sailormoon shrieked, finding that she had not the strength to walk, falling back down onto her knees, "I have to…I have to…" She muttered, collapsing fully to the ground as her body began to visibly shake. Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the rain-drenched grass, her fists curling up into the grass below. White gloves became stained with the earth between her fingers, turning brown and green within her despair.

"Serenity…" Aquarius whispered, "It is not your fault. If only my powers were strong enough, I could have protected them. But…what's done is done. There is little we can do at this point…but move forward."

"Wake up!" Sailoruranus shouted, placing a hand firmly on Sailormoon's shoulder and bringing her up from the soaked grass. She held both of Sailormoon's shoulders and looked her square in the eyes, "We've lost a lot of people, yes! But moping around isn't going to help! So you're going to have to suck it in and move _forward_, instead of wallowing in self-doubt and pity!! It's the only way we can defeat the enemy. And damnit, we _need _you!"

Sailormoon hiccupped and tried to look away from Uranus' fierce gaze. But her eyes held with the Senshi of Wind's, finding herself unable to tear her sorrowful gaze away from the commanding one. As much as it caused her heart to want to shatter, Sailormoon had to be strong. She had learned as much from Sailorcancer before. But with her friends dying left and right, how could she ever--

"The _awakening _is drawing near." Sailoraquarius said, drawing Sailormoon's gaze away from Sailoruranus. Aquarius' usually calm and pleasant face and voice had shifted; her gaze dark, her tone solemn. "Even I cannot say what will happen…but we must be cautious. If the awakening comes, darkness will soon follow…and our battle will become twice as difficult as it is now." Slowly, she shifted her gaze towards the churning skies, her blue eyes closing. "But we must not give up our light, or hope. For if we always remember the light within our hearts, the darkness cannot harm is…for it is the darkness we must fear, not those who harness its powers…"

"What do you mean by that…?" Sailorvenus asked, looking at Aquarius with curiosity.

Slowly, Aquarius opened her eyes; her eyes of glass spheres, murky and distant.

"…We have a right to fear the darkness…for I have seen what it truly hides…"


End file.
